Yin and Yang, Story 1: Two Worlds Apart
by AbhorsenSabriel87
Summary: Two worlds collide as Jounouchi relives his abusive past in his dreams and Kaiba takes him in after he gets injured one night. But what exactly is Seto trying to hide from him? And can a certain angel be trusted? Warning: Chapters 1 and 8 are graphic.
1. The Dreams

AbhorsenSabriel87: Hello fan fic readers! I am terribly sorry, but I will not have my Yu-Gi-Oh! muses today, but I do have Hiei simce this is a very angsty (if that's a word) fic.

Hiei: Whatever. I'm just here to keep you from ruining the moment.

Sabriel: --sighs-- Whatever. Anywho, this is a yoai fic with SetoxJounouchi pairing and it is rated the way it is for a reason! I don't want it to be deleted because of a low rating!

Hiei: Basically, anyone who hates yoai and/or angst, do not continue reading.

Sabriel: Exactly. Hiei, disclaimer.

Hiei: Sabriel does not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Yu-Gi-Oh!, so don't sue her or I'll lop off your head.

Sabriel: Good enough. Now let's go before I ruin the mood even more.

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_---"Dad stop!" a little boy cried out, his Brooklyn accent cracking and his young face red. Tears poured out of his fear-filled eyes as he scrambled away from the blows aimed at him. "Dad stop! Snap out of it! You've been drinkin' again!" The blonde boy ran down the hall into a bedroom with only an army-style cot with boxes underneath and a window. The boy locked the doorknob, shoved the door closed as hard as he could, and bolted for the window. He tried to open the double paned glass, but found that it was locked tightly from the outside.  
---"Get yer ass out here ya fuckin' brat!" a male voice yelled out, his words slurred and fueled by anger as his footsteps slowly pounded down the hallway. The boy stood still, his innocent and dark chocolate eyes shining with fear. "I ain't goona call ya again!" the mann yelled, now in front of the door. The handle jiggled, but did not open and a muttered curse was heard outside. "You little bastard! Open this goddamn door right fucking now!"  
The preteen scrambled under the bed and rearranged the boxes to hide his skinny body from view. His brown eyes watched the door fearfully as it crashed open, the form of his drunken ex-military father stumbling through as well. The man, unlike his son, was heavily muscled and brawny in the shoulders, standing roughly six foot five. His rusty brown hair was in a crew cut, and his eyes of the same color were bloodshot and scanned the room. His large hands held an empty bottle of some unknown alchoholic beverage and a roll of duct tape.  
---"Now where are ya, ya little shit?" he muttered, moving slowly over to the bed. The young boy cowered behind the boxes and he heard slience for a moment, the quiet only broken by his pounding heart and his father's raspy breathing. Suddenly, the cot flew up off the ground, landing with a crash on the other side of the room as the man picked up his son by the neck and squeezed tightly. The child yelped like an injured dog and grabbed at his attacker's hand, but his own were far too small to be of any use.  
---"Well, lookie what I found 'ere," the man rasped. "A mangy, scared little pup hiding under the bed." He slammed the boy face-first into the floor, then placed his right knee in the dazed child's back to hold him down as he tied the blonde's wrists behind his back with the duct tape. The child whimpered slightly as the man pulled out a hunting knife from his belt and cut away the boy's thin cotton shirt, leaving his bare back to the intoxicated abuser. "Let's see if the runt'll survive basic training," the man murmured, placing the knife on the boy's shoulder and slowly cut a diagonal line from the kid's shoulder to his ribs. The young boy screamed in agony and tried to twist away, but the man put more pressure on his spine. "Papa stop!" the child screamed. "It hurts Papa! Papa please stop!"  
---"Stop?!" the man yelled, grabbing a fistful of the child's long blonde hair and slamming the child's face into the floor, creating a slight splatter mark as the child's nose snapped soundly and he yelped again. The man made another deep cut identical to the prior one as the boy screamed again. "The little mongrel wants me to stop?! I have not even begun yet Jounouchi!" The deranged and newly enraged man grabbed the back of the boy's jean shorts and yanked them off, tearing the seams and ripping through the thick fabric. He grabbed the child's feet and hurridly taped them together by the ankles. He kept his knee in place as he pulled off his vest and camo shirt, then unbuckled his belt, instead wrapping the thick leather aroung the boy's neck tightly. The deranged figure then stood and pulled off his camo jeans, causing the child to gasp in fear, for his father's member was sticking straight out and looked really big to the small boy.  
---The "father" flipped his son over so that the boy was laying uncomfortably on his back with his arms bound beneath him, then pulled down the younger's white underwear to his ankles and pushed the child's thighs apart. He stroked the preteen's penis, causing the wanted result, and rubbed his own erect self on the child. He pushed his finger slowly into the child's small and untrained opening. The boy gasped in pain and shock and his abuser leaned in close, enough to smell the alchohol on his breath. "Well, pup, yer on yer leash now now and I'm yer master. But today..." The man smirked and put a second finger into the boy, stretching the opening further, causing the boy to moan in pain and surprising pleasure. "You'll be a man now boy!" The drunk then straddled the boy and place his member at the child's opening.  
---"Take this like a man, ya little bastard!" he screamed, then he thrusted deeply into the boy who was his son._

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---A blonde haired teen screamed in his sleep and woke up, sitting up straight in his sleeping bag, his dark cocoa eyes wide and his chest heaving as he gasped for breath. His hair was matted to his head in the sweat that covered his whole body and he brushed it away, knowing that he wouldn't get anymore sleep tonight. A slight rustling sound came from his right and a pair of tired amethyst eyes met his own brown ones from the bed next to him.  
---"Jounouchi, are you okay?" the owner of the violet eyes asked, obviously tired, but also worried for his friend's well-being. The blonde nodded and put a hand to his chest, recalling the dream's every detail.  
---"I'm okay Yuugi," he muttered, his Brooklyn accent masking his shaky voice. "Had a bad dream, is all. A nightmare, ya know?" The moon shone through the window onto the younger boy's face as he nodded sleepily and glanced at his clock. The blonde looked as well, seeing the analog clock read 4:23 in the morning. "Get s'more sleep, Yuge," he muttered. "I'll be okay. Was only a nightmare."  
---"Was it that one again, Jou?" Yuugi asked, waking up slowly and brushing his blonde bangs away from his face. Jounouchi sighed and averted his gaze, nodding after a moment and closing his chocolate eyes. "Yeah," he said, barely above a whisper. "It was Yuge." Yuugi's hand touched his best friend's shoulder in a childish but comforting way.  
---"It's the past Jounouchi-kun," he whispered. "Eventually, you won't remember it anymore." Jou nodded and turned to face his friend's deceivingly young face and smiled softly.  
---"Thanks Yuugi."

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Sabriel: That's the end of this chapter, but if I get some helpful reviews (or flames) I may just write another chapter.

Hiei: It's scary enough what you've done in this one!

Sabriel: Meh. The next chapter won't have any sex scenes in it. Only fighting. Happy?

Hiei: Yup.

Sabriel: --sighs-- I end here for now. No reviews/flames means that this will remain a one-shot, so if you want more...

Hiei: R&R ningens.

Sabriel: Exactly.


	2. The Fights

AbhorsenSabriel87: Hello fan fic readers! Just as a little note to you... you all are some seriously freaky people!   
Hiei: Well, _you're_ the one who writes these scary fics.   
Sabriel: Shut up! I was depressed!   
Hiei: Ruining the mood...   
Sabriel: Shit. Oh well. Before I totally kill the mood, Hiei, say the disclaimer.   
Hiei: --mutters something about him doing it every time-- AbhorsenSabriel87 does not own any Yu Yu Hakusho characters, nor any Yu-Gi-Oh! ones, so don't sue her 'cuz all you'll get is a bunch of crap stories.   
Sabriel: --fwaps Hiei-- On with the story...

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    As the sky grew dark over the bustling city, Jounouchi wandered the streets aimlessly, not wanting to go home in case his father was still conscious. Over the past year, his father had grown, if possible, even more violent towards the seventeen year-old. Worst of it was, Jou could never stop him. He was always plagued by the fear he'd had for the past seven years... and the memory of his father before it all happened. Now all the ex-gangster could do was make sure to stay away from home as long as he could without arousing suspicion... among other things...   
    When he actually stopped to survey his surroundings, none of the street names were familiar, and neither were any of the buildings. 'Damn,' he thought. 'Must've gotten lost somewhere. If I can find a spot where I can see Kaiba's lame tower, I can get out of Creepsville.' He walked out to the center of the deserted and slowly darkening street and looked around for the Tower, but he couldn't see it anywhere. "How can something that obnoxiously big just up and disappear?" he muttered under his breath, although no one was around to hear him even if he shouted the words.   
    No one really knew it, but Jou wasn't exactly as "mentally incompetent" as people thought. He just acted that way because half the time, he was half drunk anyway, and the other half of the time, he just wanted to be left alone to his thoughts. Personally, he was glad he didn't have someone like Yami living inside him like Yuugi did: someone who could read your thoughts and either do your best to comfort you... or, in Ryou's case, use them to hurt you. Nope, he was perfectly content, and relieved, that no one could read his thoughts without him voicing them first. As a matter of fact, one of these little facts relating to his competency was that he could, if he so wished, get straight A's in all of his classes. But, he decided not to, considering it would bring not only unwanted attention from the wrong people, but dispel his only valid, and believable, reason for Yuugi and Honda to tutor him in their spare time every week...   
    Jou shook his head, blonde hair swishing quietly behind him as he attempted to gather his thoughts, and started walking towards the sunset. If he didn't make it to the center of town, he'd reach the docks or the beach, so either way was a win-win situation for him... now all he needed to do was figure out _where_ he could possibly be. 'Judging by the silence,' he thought to himself, 'this place must've been deserted for a while.' He drew up a mental map of Domino in his mind, details from his own experiences filling in the cracks. 'The only deserted areas are in the east, southeast, and northwest sides of the city. The only other place in town is that tiny condemned area on the lower west side about three miles from the docks.' He raised his head to sniff the air slightly, and the soft, calming scent of seawater reached his petite nose. 'Lower west,' he concluded, continuing on the path he previously created. 'May as well go to the beach for a nice sunset before I head... back to the apartment.' Never, even in his own mind, had Jounouchi ever called his apartment "home". Far too much pain and far more bad memories lurked in every corner of his mind about the place, and "home" was not exactly the term he would look for to create an autobiography with. A better suited term, perhaps, would be "prison", "torture room", or even closer... Hell.   
    The sound of glass shattering nearby snapped Jou out of his daze and he whirled around to see who'd done it. Seeing no one, he thought it'd been his imagination, but then he heard the sound repeat, reverberating in and out of the abandoned buildings. Curious, and somewhat in the mood for a fight, Jou followed the noises as they lead him to the old warehouses by the piers. As quiet as a mouse, Jou snuck up to the partially open door and peeked inside to see three guys, all obviously older than him by at least five years, sitting around on the boxes and drinking beers... well, _two _of them were, at least. One of them, a young man with crimson-tipped brunette hair cut at all sorts of lengths and gray eyes as hard and cold at frosty steel, was gulping down every beer tossed to him and throwing the bottles against the warehouse walls in every direction. His frame was tall, but he was broad-shouldered and more heavily muscled than Jou, giving him the air of someone you _really_ would not want to piss off.   
    The other dark haired boy was much like his standing (and obviously drunken and enraged) companion, easily topping six feet and built like a tank, though his hair was tied back in a dragon's tail that reached his shoulders casually and was as black as midnight, while his eyes were a calm, medium blue, like the pure color you would find in a crayon box. He was slouching lazily and unashamedly next to the third man who, unlike his friends, was only about Jou's height and very wiry, with small and delicately framed glassed that hid his violet, and unfogged, eyes. His hair was only a shade or two lighter, as well, and cut in a slant from the nape of his neck down his jaw line. Also, unlike his companions, his features were far more feminine, as if the boy belonged on a TV set, not in a gang.   
    "How the hell are we going to get that bastard back for what he did to us?!" the brunette shouted, his words slurring slightly from the six-pack he'd just finished off. "We don't have a plan, and even if we did, it'd be completely hopeless!"   
    "Chill Aaron," the raven-haired man replied, his voice having a trace of some European nationality. "You forgot who exactly we have to help us. Right Mavrek?" The dark haired boy cast his calm gray gaze on the skinny boy next to him and smiled softly. "So, do you have a plan?" The other closed his eyes thoughtfully and nodded. "Aye," he replied, a definite Scotch accent on his tongue. "That ah do. But we need some 'elp for dis fight, and we need some'un whose got a bit of a grudge against our little friend."   
    "That shouldn't be too hard," Aaron replied, smirking maliciously and downing another beer. "Nearly everyone in the city has a grudge of some sort against the Kaiba bastards." Jou started slightly. Kaiba? And Mokuba? That's who these guys were after? But why? "Especially you, right Julian?" The darker smirked slightly and closed his eyes somewhat as if remembering something humorous from his childhood. "Yep," he muttered, sipping his beer lightly. "His step-dad wasn't the only father who went nuts because of him." He turned again to Mavrek, who, in turn, was simply watching Aaron as he snatched up yet another beer. "So, what's the plan?"   
    "Simple," Mavrek replied. "We kill 'em ahs slowly and painfully ahs possible. My idea is ta light their bloody mansion on fire and listen ta their screams as dey burn alive." He sipped a beer slowly, as if it were an elegant wine instead. "Thaht outta give us some sweet revenge, now shouldn't it?" Aaron laughed, a malicious cackle more or less, and turned his now glittering eyes to the Scotsman. "Brilliant," he stated. "Sheer brilliance. When do we execute the plan... and our little victims?"   
    "Tonight." A jolt shocked Jou's system as he heard this. No matter what Kaiba had ever done to him in terms of teasing or taunting ever justified him a fiery death in his own house, unable to help his only living relative who gave a damn about him. Jou stood up and started to run off in the direction of Kaiba's mansion, but managed to miss a crowbar that had been carelessly left out by its owner and tripped over it, sending him crashing into a pile of boxes. Shouts of confusion and anger came from inside and Jou knew he'd been caught, but instead of running like a normal person would, Jou simply picked himself out of the pile and stood there as the three came out to face him. "Hey!" Aaron shouted at him. "Who the Hell are you?"   
    "No'un ya need to worry your drunk ass over," Jou replied, smirking slightly. "All _you_ need to worry about from me is the fact that I can run faster down to the police station than you can to Kaiba's place to trash it, and turn you guys in before you even git yer asses half-way there."   
    "Ain't gonna happen, high schooler!" Aaron yelled. "You think you can take on all three of us at once?" Jou smirked again and almost laughed as he saw the drunk's face redden even more with rage. "The only one of you three I need to worry at all 'bout it you," he said as he pointed at Julian. His gaze transferred back to Aaron as his smile grew even more taunting. "You're so drunk you prob'ly couldn't 'it a brick wall if it was a foot from your face, and your little bud here's so skimpy, I'd prob'ly knock 'im flat wit' one punch."   
    "We'll see about that," Julian said quietly, smiling that little secretive smile that obviously meant that he knew something Jou didn't. "You want to test your theory, little man?"   
    "As a matter o' fact, I do. Got a problem wit' that?"   
    "None what so ever. Aaron, will you do the honors?" The brunette cracked his knuckles and took up a boxing stance. "Sure," he said. "As a matter of fact, I'll take this punk out easy by myself." Jou's eyes narrowed back to his glare from when he was a gang leader as he stepped into the familiar boxing stance. "Doubt it, ass wipe," he said calmly. "You couldn't hit me if your life depended on it."   
    "We'll see about that!" Almost instantly, the brunette began his assault on Jounouchi, his punches and kicks just barely blocked each time. 'Damn!' Jou thought. 'He's one of the ones who gets _stronger_ when he's out of it!' Jou blocked another one of the oncoming punches and sidestepped a predictable second just far enough to throw the other fighter off balance. As the big lug's weight and center shifted, Jou started to get a punch in on his jaw, but jumped out of the way when the lanky Scotsman pulled a switchblade and began attacking for his unprotected back. The killing blow was avoided, but Mavrek easily changed direction and swung sideways, cutting deeply into the blonde's left forearm. The teen stepped backward and began to block assaults from both the attackers and dodge the switchblade's deadly strokes. Twice the blade managed to cut him, once on the back and once on his left thigh, but both times had left both opponents wide open and Jou dealt out twice as much damage as was given to him. Soon, after many hits from the surprisingly agile teen, the two began to tire and Jou sped up, hoping to knock at least one of them out, but then a kick came from nowhere and plowed into Jou's unprotected stomach, leaving him stunned just long enough for a second kick to his mid section that sent him flying back into the boxes that had betrayed his presence earlier. Apparently, the third fighter had joined in and shocked him with the first kick, and the skinny Mavrek had applied the second. But Jou stood up, not even close to being beaten, and dived right back into the fighting. Soon, the area around him was a whirling mass of punches and kicks, many landing on him, but at least twice as many blocked and successfully countered.   
    Soon, the three had tired themselves out, having too much alcohol in their system and making them sloppy. Jou, with a new found energy he never knew he had, easily continued beating the crap out of them until the three lay unconscious at his feet. "Feh," he muttered at their unconscious and beaten forms. "You guys talk tough, but you ain't nothing compared to my ol' man. Stay away from the Kaiba bros, or so help me God I'll kill you next time." With that, Jou walked away from the scene, limping each time he stepped down on his left leg. 'Damn,' he thought bitterly. 'Those punks worked me over good. The switchblade was a bit of a cheap and nasty surprise, but I'm pretty sure those three won't be doing any fighting for a while... at least, not until those broken bones mend.' Smirking slightly, Jou headed towards the hospital to get treated for his latest injuries.   
    As he rounded one of the corners, now back in the familiarity of downtown Domino, someone bumped harshly into him. The dark figure just kept on walking as Jou whipped around angrily. "Hey jerk, what's the big idea?" he shouted at the stranger. "No common courtesy?"   
    "Not for a mutt like you." The familiar voice registered in his mind and Jou started, but easily recovered. "Oh, so it's big bad Kaiba out walkin' 'round like he owns the whole damn town," Jou snarled, now almost wishing he hadn't stopped those three from burning Kaiba's place... almost. "What brings you out 'ere at dis time o' night, rich-boy?"   
    "None of your concern, mutt-face," Kaiba replied coldly. Jou's restraint snapped as his anger flared and he shouted, "Okay! That's it Kaiba! Tonight, you're going down, my way!" Jou stepped back into the familiar boxing stance and waited for the brunette to turn around before striking at his face. The brunette easily dodged each of Jou's attempts to hit him until he finally kicked Jou's already wounded stomach and, while the blonde doubled over in pain, elbowed him between the shoulder blades, knocking him to the ground face first, as well as knocking the wind out of him. Kaiba set his intense cobalt glare on the back of the blonde's head as he twisted Jou's right arm behind his back and held him there for a minute, half enjoying the fact that he had Jou in such a venerable position. Kaiba tweaked the other's arm a bit and grinned malevolently at Jou.   
    "You're attempts at fighting are almost as bad as your attempts to duel, Jounouchi," he hissed in the blonde's ear. "Try beating me when you learn a couple new tricks, mutt." He dropped Jou's arm and started walking away, not looking back even when Jou rose again. Had he, he would have seen an angry, but also pained and sorrowful look on the young blonde's face as he turned and walked the opposite direction.   
_    Mutt_. That little word rang so loudly in Jou's ears as he continued towards the hospital. 'Why does he call me _that_,' Jou asked himself bitterly as he fought back tears of resentment and sorrow to no avail. Suddenly, Jou felt very weak and sick, and didn't have time to stick his arms out before his knees collapsed underneath him, sending his battered body falling into the empty street with a soft _fhwump_. His head hit the ground hard, causing his ears to ring and his temples to pound, and chills and shivers engulfed his body while he also felt like he was going to spew the entire contents of his gut into the street. 'Damnit,' he thought weakly, coughing up blood as he failed miserably to return to his feet. 'Those bastards at the pier must've hit me so many times they ruptured something. I have to get to the hospital... Or do I?... Wouldn't it be better to die than go back?...' His eyes went out of focus as he felt thin, but strong arms lift him into a sitting position, vaguely hearing Kaiba's familiar voice say his name over and over. Jou smiled lightly as his shaking got more violent and he felt as if the only warmth in his body came from Kaiba's arms around his shoulders.   
    "Just leave me here to die, Seto," he whispered hoarsely. "I don't want to live anymore anyway. Just leave me here and let me die..." Tears formed in Jou's eyes again, and this time, he couldn't hold them back, so they flowed, hot and thick down his cheeks. "I don't want to go back... Please Seto?..." And with that, Jou felt all of his strength leave him as the air rushed out of his lungs and darkness engulfed him, blinding all his senses and leaving only cold, pain and despair in his mind.

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    When Seto didn't hear Jounouchi try to make a snappy comeback, he'd thought that the idiot had finally just given up. 'Too bad,' he thought vaguely. 'That spirit, if not his intelligence, makes him all the more interesting to be around...' His train of thought stopped as he heard the sound of a body falling to the ground and something hard hitting the asphalt. He whipped around to see Jounouchi struggling to get up, but was unsuccessful almost instantly, coughing hoarsely as his weakened arms failed him. Seto ran over to the other teen's side and saw that Jou wasn't just coughing; he was coughing up blood. Seto, worry and panic on his features and thoughts of the same nature racing through his mind, lifted the wounded blonde into a sitting position, clutching him tightly, as if that would keep him holding on to life.   
    "Jounouchi!" he half-shouted, panic and concern in his voice. "Jounouchi, stay with me! Jounouchi!" A small smile twitched at the corners of the blonde's mouth as his shaking grew more violent, and he whispered to him, almost too soft to hear, "Just leave me to die, Seto."   
    Stunned was the only way to put it. Not only had the boy he'd picked on for the past year or so called him by his first name, but the boy to have the most astonishing will to live Seto had _ever_ known had just told him to leave him to die. Before Kaiba could overcome his shock, Jou whispered something else; "I don't want to live anymore anyway. Just leave me here and let me die..." Even as tears flowed down Jou's rapidly paling cheeks, Seto could only sit in shock, holding Jou upright. "I don't want to go back..." the blonde continued. "Please Seto..." Jou suddenly went limp in his arms with a soft sigh and Kaiba was snapped back in control.   
    "Jounouchi?" he said, half-questioning as he shook the boy in his arms. "Jounouchi, wake up! You can't die! What about Yuugi? What will _he_ do once _you're_ gone?" Getting no response, Seto checked the teen's pulse: irregular and slowly weakening. Without thinking, Seto scooped Jou easily into his arms, surprised that he could look so tough, yet weigh so little, and ran for the hospital four blocks away. 'Hold on, you idiot,' he thought angrily, but fearful. 'I won't have your death on my conscience, too.'

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Sabriel: There's chapter two. Now go away!   
Hiei: That's no way to get reviews.   
Sabriel: O.O YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU ACTUALLY _WANT_ ME TO GET REVIEWS ON THIS CREEPY AND SERIOUSLY DEPRESSING FIC!?!?!?!?!?   
Hiei: No. I'm just saying you shouldn't treat you reviewers like that since this is your most popular story since Introducing My Little Brother.   
Sabriel:........ So?   
Hiei: --sighs-- Just give thanks to your loyal readers and let's be done with it.   
Sabriel: Fine... --grumbles-- Thank you readers. Now good night!   
Hiei: --fwaps her-- Individually, baka ningen.   
Sabriel: Whatever, baka youkai... --mutters darkly under breath, rubs back of head--

Kakarots-Frying-Pan - Yuugi just knows that Jou's past is really bad and that his nightmares are about his dad abusing him. Anyway, thanks for the review.

Bronwen - Ooo-kay. Well then, here you go, now you know.

evilgoddess1990 - See above.   
Hiei: You are _so _damn lazy when you're depressed.   
Sabriel: Your point?

Flame Swordswoman - Well this abuse fic will probably continue for a while if you guys keep pestering me with reviews, so, yeah.

DaughterofDeath - I just did.

drkinnocence - There you go drkhikari-chan.

YAMIGIRL3 - You confuse me a bit too, but oh well. Ask your yami if she knows my yami. Her name's Isabella.

Michelle - Uh, thanks. Don't any of you know how to do constructive critisizm though?   
Hiei: Nope. After all, they are just ningens.   
Sabriel: --fwaps him-- See ya people.   
Hiei: Read and review.   
Sabriel: Ignore Hiei's last comment.


	3. The Hospital

AbhorsenSabriel87: ...I'm not even going to say it.  
Hiei: Why?  
Sabriel: Because one; it'd ruin the mood, and two; they won't listen to me anyway.  
Hiei: Finally you've come to terms with reality. --sees her totally pissed (and yet depressed) look and decides to not make things worse for himself-- AbhorsenSabriel87 does not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Yu-Gi-Oh! so don't sue her, because your pathetic ningen lawyers can't do shit against a demon who's out to destroy the entire human race.  
Sabriel: --sighs-- Good enough. On with the story.

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---Kaiba sat nervously in one of the hospital chairs outside the O. R., but his anxiety was masked by his usual apathetic demeanor. He simply waited, watching the clock as time slowly passed, each second an eternity. At nine o'clock, he called up the sitter he got for Mokuba when he was out of town on business, and couldn't take Mokuba with him, and told her to go over to the mansion to watch him until he returned.  
---"What should I tell him you're doing sir?" the calm, female voice asked. Kaiba thought for a moment, then answered, "I'm doing some late-night work at the hospital again because an associate was injured."  
---"Very well sir. _Oyasumi nasai_, Mr. Kaiba." The line cut off and Kaiba hung up his cell phone, tucked it away in his pocket, and waited for the doctor to return with Jou's condition. Just as he started to nod off at around ten 'till, a nurse came by with a clipboard. "Excuse me," she murmured, startling him slightly. "Um, I need you to fill out some paperwork for the young man you brought in, Mr. Kaiba." Seto nodded, too tired and far too worried to ignore the problem at hand and desperately needing _something_ to keep him busy enough to make the time go by faster.  
---Surely enough, just as he filled in the last of what he knew about Jou, the door next to him opened and Jou was pushed out on a hospital bed, surrounded by doctors and nurses. Seto picked himself up and immediately snagged the arm of the head operator. "What's his condition?" he asked, fearful in his mind, but cold and unconcerned in his voice. The surgeon sighed and slipped off her mask, revealing a very petite face to match her small frame. Her soft brown eyes lifted to Seto's blue gaze and she smiled half-heartedly.  
---"He'll recover eventually," she replied, her voice soft and commanding attention, like his so often did. "His internal injuries, thankfully, did not exceed a burst appendix, a ruptured spleen, and a few broken ribs. The other wounds, such as the stab wounds, are shallow and have been sewn up. The bruises will be completely gone in a week or so. Other than that, he's fine as far as we can tell."  
---"How long until he recovers?"  
---"The next six hours will tell if we have to operate again, but his cuts shouldn't take more than a couple weeks. His ribs, however, will take longer."  
---"How much longer?"  
---"They should be mended in two months, _if_ he only participates in limited physical activity." Seto almost sighed in relief, but caught himself in time and instead nodded. The surgeon pulled her short black hair out of the hair net and began to walk away, but turned around a few feet away to look him straight in the eye, the white lights gleaming off her slightly damp, dark brown face. "Who is this young man, Mr. Kaiba?" Seto stiffened slightly before answering.  
---"I bumped into him on the street and heard him collapse behind me. I've known one of his friends for quite a while and thought it the best thing to do." The doctor smiled softly.  
---"Good thing you did sir," she replied slowly. "Lord knows if you hadn't, he probably would've died out there tonight." She walked on, talking to some other nurses who came up to her with medical charts, leaving Seto to think over her parting words. 'But _was_ it right, considering he _wanted_ to die?' he thought sadly, then turned around and walked to the nurse's information desk. At the moment, a young blonde was sitting at the desk, her violet eyes impassively scanning the computer screen in front of her. When Seto walked up, she raised her gaze to meet his, but otherwise did not move except to smile slightly. "Well Kaiba," she said quietly, "what are you doing here this late at night?"  
---"I would ask you the same question, but it's obvious that you work here," the brunette stated unemotionally. "So if you could kindly pull up the name of the doctor taking care of Jounouchi at the moment-"  
---"Katsuya's here?" she asked, seemingly appalled. "What happened? Is he alright?"  
---"I don't know," Kaiba snapped. "All I know is that he spent the last," he checked the clock, seeing it at half-past eleven, "three hours in the O. R. Now, will you _kindly_ pull up that file Mai?" The blonde nodded and typed on her computer, fingers racing across the keys. She stopped a moment and looked intently at the screen, then pushed back in her chair and reached up onto a shelf, grabbing a clipboard and walking back over to Kaiba. "Here," she said, handing the clipboard over to Kaiba. "Take a quick look and give it back. This is the nurse's copy and I can't lose it or I'm fired." Seto nodded and scanned the chart, noting the name of Jou's doctor and the injured teen's room number before handing it back to Mai, who then put it back exactly where she found it.  
---"Thanks," Seto muttered, just barely loud enough to be heard. "Any time," Mai replied. "Find out who hurt Jou and I'll be indebted to _you_." Seto nodded and walked to the second floor room where his injured _acquaintance_ was being held. As he reached the room, a young red-haired doctor walked out, looking over a chart with a furrowed brow. He glanced up with icy blue eyes as Seto walked over and waited for him to get within hearing range. "Mr. Kaiba," he stated. "What can I do for you?"  
---"You can tell me Jounouchi Katsuya's status," Kaiba replied coolly. The doctor shook his head and began to say that it was impossible, but the CEO interrupted him. "Listen," Seto hissed, "I'm responsible for his injuries and I'm paying for his medical bills right now. So, if you don't mind-"  
---"We're running a few more tests on him," the doctor interrupted. He, like everyone else, didn't exactly _fear_ Seto Kaiba's well-known temper, but also like everyone else, he didn't want it exploding in his face and getting him fired. "The surgeons found some... unusual things while they were operating on him."  
---"First of all," Seto asked coldly, "what kind of 'unusual things', and secondly, what type of tests?" The doctor faltered for a minute before answering. "I... don't have the authority to tell you, Mr. Kaiba. There's a state of doctor-patient confidentiality I cannot break, even to the one paying his bills."  
---Kaiba simply stared coldly at the doctor before turning to look inside at the unconscious blonde inside. "Fine," he muttered. "Any idea when he'll wake up?" The doctor shrugged slightly and also looked in on his patient. "The morphine will wear off in a few hours, but he probably won't wake up until morning. You can either wait here until then, or come back during visiting hours."  
---"I'll wait," Seto replied. He paused before adding, "Could you do me a favor, doctor?" The doctor looked at him again before responding. "Depends on the favor sir."  
---"Could you tell no one else that he's here?" The doctor nodded. "That I'll do, Mr. Kaiba." The doctor unlocked the door and held it open as Seto walked inside, closed and locked it so that no one else could enter, and walked off to his other rounds, placing the key in his lab coat pocket.  
---Seto stood in the center of the room for a moment, just gazing about the room before focusing his sapphire gaze on the other teen in the room, and walked over to a chair next to the bed and sat down silently, still staring at the unconscious boy. In his sleep, Jou looked so calm and peaceful, totally devoid of any of the anger or determination that usually crossed his young face. Seto had only seen him like this one other time; right after he'd been knocked unconscious by Marik at the Battle City Finals, which Kaiba himself had hosted. Even though he knew that Jou was hardly older than he was, the other had an air of someone younger, but far wiser than himself. It was strange how he admired Jou, but was it admiration or something else...  
---Seto shook his head to clear his thoughts and glanced up at the analog clock on the nightstand. 'Well after midnight,' he noted sleepily. He turned his gaze back on Jou's sleeping form and frowned. Jou was definitely still unconscious, but his brow was furrowed and he seemed to be in pain. The blonde was biting his lip as if to keep from crying out and all his muscles were tensed under the hospital blanket. Seto thought about going to get the nurse, but noticed the Jou was whispering something in his sleep. Curious, he leaned forward to listen to the sleeping teen's muffled whispers and leaned back in shock at what he heard. 'Could it be that...' Seto thought. 'But why would he...' Seto shook his head and looked at the young man, whose face showed him in even more pain than before. Before even knowing exactly what he was doing, Seto placed his left hand gently on the boy's forehead, his cool palm contrasting with the other's heated skin, but slowly, Jou began to cease shaking and his breathing returned to a normal speed. Once the blonde seemed to be back to normal, Seto traced his hand gently down Jou's cheek and placed it back in his own lap. Danger having passed, the tired and worried brunette simply settled for watching over the only other person in the room... and probably one of the only people outside his family who cared if anyone around him lived or died.  
-------------------  
---When Seto woke up the next morning, he was still in the chair in Jou's room, his head in his arms, which, in turn, were resting on the edge of the bed. Jou was still asleep and, unlike the brief moments last night, completely calm. Seto glanced at the clock and frowned; the clock read half past ten in the morning, which meant he'd slept for almost ten hours. That disturbed him for two reasons; one, he'd never slept for more than six hours a day for the past seven years, and two, if it was a normal day, he'd be late for work. 'Thank whatever God there is that today is Sunday,' he thought smugly as he pushed himself up and stretched, hearing the bones in his back pop back into place like they always did after he fell asleep sitting down. The noise no longer bothered or startled him, but instead reminded him that he was awake. Glancing around, he saw that no one else was in the room but him and his wounded... would 'friend' be the proper term? 'Acquaintance'? Perhaps 'associate'? Did it really matter? Was Katsuya Jounouchi actually his friend?  
---Seto shook his head, clearing the unfamiliar thoughts of doubt and misunderstanding from his head. He didn't know, and he shouldn't care. _Shouldn't being the key word there,_ his mind argued with him. He shook his head again and had just returned to his seat when the doctor came in. Seto barely turned to look at the doctor as he placed the clipboard on the foot of the bed and smiled slightly at the visitor. "Mr. Kaiba," he stated. "I see you're still here."  
---"As are you," Seto replied coldly. "What do you have to tell me, doctor?" The doctor frowned slightly. "My instincts were correct on this young man, sir. Since you are the one paying the bill, I must ask you to keep everything I tell you about this young man strictly confidential. Nothing, I repeat, _nothing_ you hear from me can you tell anyone else. You cannot even tell this young man when he wakes up that I told you this."  
---"My lips are sealed doctor," Seto replied harshly. "Now will you continue on?" The doctor took a breath and made sure the door was closed and locked before returning to the bedside and continuing. "Our patient here has sign of long term abuse on him."  
---"Well, he was a member of a gang for some years." The doctor winced. "I didn't mean _that_ style of abuse, sir." When Seto gave him a questioning look, the young doctor shifted nervously before responding.  
---"One of the tests we preformed on Mr. Jounouchi was a full body scan. It revealed that several muscles in his abdomen have been torn and healed over. We think that the scar tissue must be around five to ten years old."  
---"What are you saying doctor?"  
---"The test results of another came back positive." The doctor looked hard at Seto and stared him straight in the eye as he spoke, low and grave. "As far as we can tell, for the past five to ten years, Jounouchi Katsuya has been sexually abused."  
---Silence met the doctor's ominous words as Seto stared in shock at first the physician, then the patient. "You mean that he's..." Seto trailed of as the doctor nodded. "Yes sir," the doctor replied, also looking gravely at his patient. "And the most recent that we can tell happened within the last few days." The doctor transferred his stern and icy blue eyes on the seventeen year old CEO. "If you wish us to begin an investigation-"  
---"No," Seto replied quickly. "Don't. You could have no idea what you're getting into if you do that."  
---"But-"  
---"No 'buts'. Trust me on this; unless he asks, do not involve yourself." Seto smirked slightly at the doctor. "Doctor-patient confidentiality, remember?" The copper-headed physician nodded and picked the chart back up. "In that case," the doctor continued as if the conversation had resumed to normal, "he's free to check out at any time."  
---"I'll check him out immediately." Seto stood up from his seat and set his gaze lightly on the doctor. "We need to get him to a well-protected environment so that his abuser can't harm him while he's in this state. If he does, Jounouchi is as good as dead this time."  
---The doctor nodded. "To where shall I place in my report he's gone?" Seto paused for a moment, thinking about his current predicament. He couldn't say that he was released into his father's custody; that would be too difficult to forge. He also couldn't say that Jou had been released into _his_ custody, for that would bring far too much unwanted attention his way. Finally, a thought dawned on him. "Say that he was certifiably released by me, but he left of his own free will. That should keep him safe for now." The doctor nodded and left the room quickly, Seto Kaiba in tow. 'I will not allow you to go back to that torture, Jounouchi,' Seto silently vowed. 'I know who's caused this, and I'll make deadly sure he doesn't do it again.'

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Sabriel: Third chapter completed.  
Hiei: You're starting to sound like a computer.  
Sabriel: Depression does that to me. Now onto the reviewer responses.

drkinnocence – No my friend; barking at passerby does not mean that you have had too much sugar. It simply means you're looking for another out let for your emotions.  
Hiei: Or, you have my philosophy.  
Sabriel: Which is?  
Hiei: She's nuts, like you.  
Sabriel: --fwaps him--

daughterofdeath – I did. Don't you say anything else?

Angel-belle – I agree, and so do I.  
Hiei: Gee, what gave you that idea? (hint: sarcasm)  
Sabriel: --evil glare--

Bronwen – I have now updated and another chapter is most likely on the way. And don't worry about me insulting them any more; I now know that I like them too.

Flame Swordswoman – I like to get all my spelling right so that I don't have angry reviewers.  
Hiei: What about angry muses?  
Sabriel: That I can control. Anywho, thanks for the compliment. I may write more if you guys keep up the enthusiasm.

YAMIGIRL3 – A late review calls for a late update. Anywho, additional info, Isabella was an assassin, so you may want to have her check the Thief's Guild for her file or check with Akefia (aka Yami Bakura). Take care in finding her.

Reincarnated Magick – You are welcome for the review! That is one of the first times anyone actually thanked me for one!  
Hiei: Don't get too cocky kid.  
Sabriel: --fwaps him-- Anywho, I don't have hotmail or msn, but I do have Yahoo if it helps any. It's on my bio.

kenshinfan21 – Thanks, and it was meant exactly how it sounded.

Kakarots-Frying-Pan – I already said why they were after Kaiba (just very subtly), "Sets" did make it to the hospital --points at above story--, and I can't tell you what happens next if you don't review!  
Hiei: You drive a harder bargain than a Deveel. (Anyone who doesn't know, that's pretty much a devil.)  
Sabriel: --glare-- Yes, I decided to have Yuugi know a little, but not too much; Jou doesn't want to depress him and have the wrath of Yami on him. And, uh, thanks! Much obliged!

tsuki-san16 – Thanks! That helps boost my reviews! --chibi grin-- Arigato!

Sabriel: That's all for now, so R&R and I'll probably write more!  
Hiei: Hopefully not.  
Sabriel: --knocks him out with giant rubber mallet-- See ya readers!


	4. The Discovery

AbhorsenSabriel87: I've decided something.  
Hiei: What? You're actually going to go through with killing your siblings?  
Sabriel: No. --Hiei flinches, thinking she'll fwap him, but she doesn't-- I'm going to keep writing this story until it's complete.  
Hiei: You are?  
Sabriel: Yup.  
Hiei: Why?  
Sabriel: Because for some strange reason, I seem to adore angst anyway and I know that writing this will help keep me out of depression.  
Hiei: And the psychotic reasoning behind that is...?  
Sabriel: --shrugs-- If you punch a punching bag when you're pissed, some of your anger goes away. It's the same for me and angst fics.  
Hiei: Whatever.  
Sabriel: I own nothing but the plot.  
Hiei: That's my job!  
Sabriel: Whatever.

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_Muffled voices, what's going on? I should be _dead_, shouldn't I? So tired, but wait: this doesn't _feel_ like a hospital bed. It's too soft. So, where _am_ I? What's going on? So tired, I can't lift my eyes or my arms. So tired..._

------------------

"Mr. Kaiba?" Seto took his gaze off the sleeping man in the room he'd just put him in a few hours ago. Early evening sunlight made the white room shine like it was on fire; an array of reds and oranges, giving the room a warm feeling, and Seto was just watching Jou for another moment while he slept. He turned his cobalt eyes, now almost violet in the sunset, to the young lady who had spoken, a young woman of only about fourteen or so with honey-blonde hair reaching he shoulders in a lazy ponytail. Her pale green eyes, the color of jade, looked at him with a mix of intimidation, shyness, and questioning. When he simply acknowledged her question with his usual look, she continued. "Um, what should I-"

"If and when he wakes up," Seto interrupted, "give him whatever he asks for. Do not tell him anything about where he is. I also want to know the moment he falls back asleep when he woke up and how long he was awake. Is that clear?" This last question was asked with enough venom attached to it to intimidate the girl even more, causing her to only gulp slightly and nod. "Good," Seto replied. "Fill Mokuba in when he gets back. Tell him only what you know and nothing else." Again, the young blonde nodded, and Seto once more looked in on the unconscious boy. His eyes narrowed as suspicion took over him. Did his breathing just change? Did he just twitch? Was he waking up?

Seto shook his head. 'Far too much paranoia for one day,' he thought. He looked back on the girl by the door and smiled, just barely. "Why don't you take a break downstairs, Angel?" he said softly. "You get twenty minutes or until Mokuba gets back, whichever comes first. Make sure to bring up a bowl of cold water and a clean cloth when you come back up though." Surprised by his sudden kindness and the use of her nickname, the blonde nodded, curtsied, and walked swiftly down the hall to the marble staircase. Seto sighed as he watched her walk with that overly exaggerated sway that she did. 'She's far too obvious,' Seto thought to himself. 'Too bad. She's a sweet kid and a hard worker. Not many like her around any more... Ah, well, that's her deal. Maybe if she'd quit walking like that, she stop getting into trouble.' Seto frowned as a strange thought crossed his mind. 'Is she trying to seduce me?' he wondered. 'What the Hell is the matter with her?' He shook his head, clearing his thoughts to a less personal view. 'Girls her age, I can't deal with this right now. What's important right now is Jounouchi.' Seto cast his gaze once more on the unconscious teen, and then closed the door. He laid his slender left hand on the solid mahogany door and sighed, then turned and walked down the hall and up the stairs to the third floor. If he didn't do some work, he was going to go insane.

-----------------

_Hmm? I'm awake? If I'm awake, why can't I open my eyes? Someone's putting something cold on my head. What the Hell? Where am I?_

Jounouchi opened his eyes slowly to see a darkened room that had obviously been painted white, but was now dark due to lack of light. The only light came from a small bedside lamp, and when Jou moved his eyes to see it, he caught the face of a young girl, probably no older than his sister Shizuka. She was blonde, with light eyes: he couldn't tell the color in this lighting. Her skin was beginning to tan from the summer sun, and Jou guessed from the darkness outside the window that it was well past eleven. At the moment, she was reading a novel, Lirael by Garth Nix. Jou had given Shizuka the three book series for her last birthday as a gift from their father and a special Duel Monster's card from him that he'd come across in his search for more cards. He realized that a cool towel had been placed on his forehead and smiled slightly. He wasn't in a hospital, but at least whoever this was knew their typical home treatments. He would have stayed like that, pretending to sleep just to see how long before she caught onto him, except that he sneezed, jerking his hand up to hold his nose. A slight pain shot through his left forearm as he did so and he remembered that he was injured.

"Oh!" The little gasp of surprise came from his left and he opened his eyes and glanced at the young teen. She had put down her book and had removed the cloth from his forehead. Her petite and pixy-ish face held a look of surprise... and a little too much innocence. "You're awake!"

"Yeah I am," Jou replied, voice slightly hoarse from lack of use during sleep. 'Strange,' he thought. 'I usually talk in my sleep or worse.' "Got any water?" he asked. The girl nodded and poured him a glass from the pitcher on the nightstand and helped him drink it, lifting the back of his head to the glass until he had drank it all. When she put the glass back on the little table, she smiled brightly at him. "So, what's your name?" she asked softly, kindness and purity in her voice like Yuugi's almost always was.

"Jou," he said, voice still sore and his eyelids getting heavy again. What 'bout you, kid?"

"Angelina," she said. "But you can call me Angel." Jou smiled as he started drifting off again. "Angel, huh?" he whispered. "You remind me of my sis Shizuka, ya know?" Energy spent, Jou fell back asleep; dreamless sleep, his little miracle over however long he'd been out. But now, he was just glad to be getting sleep, restless or not.

Angel looked at him for a moment, watching him sleep for a minute before she got up and walked quietly out of the room, going off to report to her still-awake employer that his "house guest" had woken up momentarily.

----------------

According to Angel, Jou was asleep for most of the first two weeks he was there. Even so, when he did wake up, she had told Seto that he was staying awake longer than the time before. On her last report, it had been eighteen days since Jou had been released and he'd stayed awake for almost an hour just talking to her about their families. Since he hadn't been at school, Yuugi and his little friends were worried, but Seto decided it best not to tell them anything just yet. Worrying might be unhealthy for them, but it was better than some other things.

Seto shook his head as Angel closed the door to his office and continued to type up his document. It was a book that he had been creating for some time now, almost a year and a half, and it amused him if he didn't have any work to do. It was a fictional novel, about a teenage prince and his younger brother fighting against a ruthless dictator. At first, the two had been simpletons on the street, simple commoners, then the dictator's enemies had destroyed their village while they had gone fishing at a nearby river. Their home destroyed, they sought shelter many miles away in an old monastery. They stayed until the elder was thirteen, and then they left and infiltrated the dictator's palace under the guise of servants for almost three years. This book was a diary kept by the elder brother during their "adventure" that he wrote in after the most important events, then a third person view of the events of the time between the writings. For Seto it wasn't just a novel though; it was a fictional version of his life created for teenagers, therefore it didn't have some of the more...unpleasant details of his life.

A knock came from his door and Seto jerked his head up, saving his document and closing it almost at the same time. "What is it?" he asked, voice sharp and slightly irritable. The door opened to reveal a young boy of about thirteen with long black hair and soft violet-gray eyes. "Am I bothering you, Nii-san?" Seto sighed and half smiled. "No, Mokuba," he replied softly. "I wasn't doing anything too important." Mokuba nodded and stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him. 'I'm going to have to get his hair cut soon,' Seto thought absently. 'It's getting far too long.'

"Um, Seto," Mokuba said quietly, "how long is Jou going to stay?" Seto frowned slightly, not in anger, but in confusion, thought, and slight suspicion. "Why?" he asked. Mokuba walked up to the desk and sat in one of the chairs, looking down at his feet. "I know you don't really like me talking to Yuugi and his friends, but they're really worried about Jou. Anzu told me that Yuugi almost had a breakdown in the middle of class. They're really upset and they've been looking everywhere for him." Seto sighed and leaned back in his chair, brushing his hair back away from his face with his right hand.

"Jou will stay until he is fit to leave," he said calmly. "Right now, he can only stay awake for an hour at a time, and he still can't sit up straight, let alone walk or defend himself. I'd say another two or three weeks should be plenty of time. If he's not better by then, we can release him back to the hospital." Mokuba nodded silently and got up from the chair, walking towards the door. He turned the knob and opened it slightly before looking at his brother again. "What should I tell Yuugi and everyone?" he asked shyly.

Seto sighed again, pondering the idea for a moment. "Wait a couple of hours," he said. "I can forge Jou's handwriting because it looks a lot like mine and I'll write a letter to Yuugi telling him that he went to his mother's for a few days, then he's going to stay in Tokyo for a while."

"Do you think it's right to lie to them, Nii-san?"

"I think we need to whatever's best for Jou right now, and having all his friends over here making a ruckus is not going to help him rest." Seto glanced out the window to his left to see the sun setting once again. "Go on downstairs, Mokuba. I'll be down for dinner in ten minutes." Mokuba nodded and left the room quietly, shutting the door behind him, and Seto stood from his chair, stretching his arms and back out before walking to the window and standing in front of it. He looked out over his grounds for a while, thinking about his current situation, then turned and walked down the hall to Jou's room. Hearing the teen's familiar voice mixing with Angel's high-pitched and musical peals of laughter, Seto nodded and walked down to the dining room to eat, something he'd barely been able to accomplish these last few days. Sleep was the other necessary divinity that he'd been seriously lacking, but he'd spent a lot of nights awake all the time. How was this any different?

----------------

"Jou you're so funny!" Angel giggled slightly, giving her an even more girlish look, if it were possible. "Eh, I try," Jou replied, smiling. "So, what's up wit' you? I thought after-school jobs were 'gainst school pol'cy."

"They are," she replied. "I'm home schooled though, so I just have to help pay the bills." Jou nodded. "I get dat," he said softly. "Heck if it weren't fer me, my old man prob'ly woulda lost our apartment by now."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's cool. We find ways to pay the rent, and it's a nice place, so it works out, ya know?" Angel nodded, still smiling brightly. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand and, seeing that it read 9:17, turned back to Jou. "Would you like something to eat?" she asked. "The cooks should be here now to cook my employer's dinner, so it'll probably be no trouble." Jou thought about it for a second, then replied, "Just some hot tea with honey and lemon, please. My gut prob'ly still isn't up to solid food just yet."

"I can get you some tomato soup if you want," she pushed. "Or how about some chicken broth? You'll need all the protein you can get." Jou shrugged slightly. "Sounds great by me," he replied. "I'm just not all that hungry." Angel shrugged and walked out the door, her hips swaying like an overpaid model as she went. When she closed the door, Jou sighed and pushed himself up to sit up straight on the bed. Leaning against the headboard, he rubbed his head, thinking, 'God what an annoying teen. What the hell is with the sugary-sweet act? I'd understand if she was a candy striper, but this is going over the top. What's she trying to do, get me to date her or something?' Jou smirked, enjoying that thought. 'Well, she's barking up the wrong tree there. I don't go down that path very often, just for show. Besides, I wouldn't date her even if I _was_ completely straight. She's far too much of a ditz and a push-over. I wouldn't be surprised if someone just came and plucked her off the street for kiddy-pornography.' He sniggered lightly at that last thought, trying to imagine Angel in a _very_ mini angel costume, and almost burst out laughing when he did. When he heard her coming down the hall, he carefully but quickly made it back under the covers, only slightly sitting up like he was before. 'This is going to be one Hell of a vacation,' he thought as Angel walked back in, carrying a steaming mug and bowl on a hardwood and metal tray, smiling as always.

--------------

'Just when I need her here,' Seto thought bitterly, 'her mother gets sick and she has to call off work to take care of her. That's karma if I ever did see it.' Angel had called in a vacation day because she needed to take care of her mother while she was sick with pneumonia, and all of the other servants were elsewhere. Besides, he couldn't trust anyone with this duty besides Angel, so he had to do it himself. He now sat typing on his laptop, the mini computer resting in his lap as he sat in the chair next to Jou's bed, and his mind wandered as he typed quickly, long fingers racing across the keys with immense speed and uncanny accuracy as he finished typing more codes for his video game rewiring disk. This was a program that would almost completely reboot his virtual video game and allow him to restart the program. 'There's no point in denying it now; whatever God there is, they're seriously out to get me.'

It had been a little over three weeks since Jou had arrived from the hospital, and his condition was rapidly improving. Even though he still didn't quite have the strength to walk yet, so said Angel, he was staying awake for hours at a time and was now able to eat more, although not as much as he used to. He also, Seto was told, could now sit up straight in bed and wasn't shaking so much when he slept anymore. Seto smiled slightly at remembering her comment. He'd been in Jou's room almost every night to check on him, and every time Jou started to shake or seemed to be having a nightmare, he'd been there next to him, lightly touching his hand to the blonde's forehead, or gently grasping his hand. Every time, it worked to calm him, and soon, Jou wasn't having any nightmares anymore as far as Seto could tell. Now, Jou slept silently and calmly, none of the all too familiar lines of pain or fear crossing his young features.

Seto leaned back and pushed his bangs back from his forehead, sighing deeply and closing his eyes. He didn't remember the last time he'd been so tired, not being able to sleep right for almost a week, or, for that matter, sleep at all. Why was it getting so hard for him? What was his mind trying to tell him?

He was so immersed in his own thoughts and was so tired that he didn't hear Jou waking up. The blonde haired teen opened his eyes, expecting to see Angel again but instead saw a face that he _really_ didn't expect. "Hmm? Kaiba?" Jou couldn't believe it; his greatest rival had taken him in and was now caring for him while he was down. He didn't even know how long he'd been here, but it had to have been more than a couple of weeks because he knew he needed to shave soon or he'll have more whiskers than his old man. The sound of Jou's voice seemed to snap Seto out of his miniature daydream and back into reality. The brunette returned his sapphire gaze to Jou's deep amber one and the two just stared at each other for a minute. Jou propped himself up an his elbow and gave the other a confused look. "You're the one who's been housin' me?" Seto shook himself out of the shock of being caught and continued to type on his computer. "What does it matter, Jounouchi?" he muttered, glaring at his computer screen. "Why?" Jou asked, his eyes questioning as he scanned the teenager next to him.

"Does it matter?" Seto snapped, not really angry at Jou but more at himself for not preparing an answer to the inevitable question. "Yes it matters!" Jou replied, keeping his voice low and sharp so that Kaiba could get the fact that he was a little ticked, but was trying not to wake everyone in the house. "I thought you hated me, so why are ya bein' like this?"

"Being like what Jounouchi? Actually caring whether you live or die? Making sure that no one takes advantage of you while you're down with broken ribs and a healing surgery wound in your gut?" Seto's eyes focused intensely on his computer screen as he talked, his eyes tingling with tears of an unknown emotion that threatened to fall if he didn't get out of there quickly. Jou, however, was shocked at Seto's sudden change of character. He'd never been like this before, so why was now ant different? He'd been to the hospital a lot during his life and Kaiba had never once been there then. True, the CEO probably had no idea that Jou was there almost every month, but still... What made this one time so special?

"Kaiba, I didn't mean-"

"Save your breath, Jounouchi. _I _was the one who was wrong in this case." Jou was, to say the least, startled. As far as he knew, Seto had never admitted that he was wrong, or that he'd made a mistake. But right now, Jou couldn't bring himself to correct the teen, for his deep cobalt eyes stared at his computer screen as if it could get him out of the conversation, and his face showed that he was having a really hard time getting his words out. "The surgeons who worked on you found some... _interesting_ data. When they did a full body scan..." Seto closed his eyes, and Jou could see the tears at the edges of his eyes as he tried to complete his sentence. Somewhere in the house, a clock rang two in the morning and Seto shook his head, trying to clear away the stray thoughts.

"I know what's been happening to you these past years, Jounouchi," he muttered quietly. "I... it hit a little close to home, if you know what I mean. I knew that if you were in the hospital, your dad would get you released and you would be defenseless." Jou's eyes widened in shock as he heard these words come out of Seto's mouth. "You... You mean to say dat..." Jou's sentence trailed off as Seto nodded his head. "I know, Jou," he murmured. "And I couldn't let him do it again, not when I have the chance to stop it. If he got to you like this, he'd kill you Jou." Seto's eyes stared at the computer screen, not seeing it as his hands just rested on the keys, not moving in the slightest. "I couldn't let that happen." His ocean blue eyes closed and twin tear lines ran down his cheeks.

Jou just sat there in shock at what he'd just heard and seen. 'He actually cares about what happens to me?' he thought in wonder. 'But why? And what does he mean, it "hits a little close to home"? What's got him so wierded out that he's worried about me?' Then he noticed how tired and how spent the other looked, how in the course of thirty seconds he seemed to gain ten years onto his life. "Are you all right, Kaiba?" he asked quietly. "You look tired, you should prob'ly get some rest, ya know?" Seto returned his eyes to Jou's face, one of caring and concern, not of anger or confusion like before. Still spent after confessing to him, Seto only nodded, closed his laptop, and walked out of the room. When he got to the door, Jou called back to him. When he turned around, he saw Jou's face smiling; not that big goofy one he always wore around his friends, but an honest-to-God pure smile. "Thanks," he muttered. Seto smiled half-heartedly.

"Any time," he whispered back. "Just don't tell anyone I've gone soft, 'kay?" The two shared a smirk at this and Seto closed the door, allowing Jou to go back to sleep and Seto to ponder as he walked down the hall to his own room. Maybe Jou wasn't such a bad guy after all... Maybe this was the only person... who could actually understand...

Seto shook his head and put the laptop on the desk in his room. 'I need to get _some_ sleep tonight. No telling when I'll get any again.'

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Sabriel: That's it for now.  
Hiei: That was one Hell of a boring chapter.  
Sabriel: Meh. It gets better next chappie.  
Hiei: --suspicious look-- Why?  
Sabriel: It just does.  
Hiei: What happens?  
Sabriel: You'll find out the same time the readers do.  
Hiei: Damn. Is it safe to say it?  
Sabriel: Yup.  
Hiei: R&R, angst lovers.  
Sabriel: Or anyone else reading this fic.  
Hiei: Wait!  
Sabriel: What?  
Hiei: I feel like we're forgetting something.  
Sabriel: Like what?  
Hiei: --thinks--  
Sabriel: --thinks, then snaps her fingers-- Reviewer responses!  
Hiei: Oh yeah. --hands over list from printer--  
Sabriel: Here we go....

Flame Swordswoman - --chibi grin-- Yeah, I am very descriptive. (one of my friends says overly, but I say fuck you to them.) Anywho, I was guessing that you weren't that hyper over every fic, so, yeah.

CoconutDemon – Okay, I'll try, but old habits die hard. Other than that, thanks!

kenshinfan21 – Your wish is my command! --knocks Hiei out cold with a giant rubber mallet-- There ya go! And P.S. you're welcome.  
Hiei: --out cold--

Kakarots-Frying-Pan – Who says Kaiba cares?  
Hiei: You did.  
Sabriel: When'd you wake up?!  
Hiei: Just now.  
Sabriel: --sighs-- Anywho, my dad was a medic and a cop, and I'm a student counselor, so confidentiality is a must for us. Anyway, thanks for noticing that detail and read the next chapters!

Kibethan – Thanks! I'll keep it in mind, but as I said before, old habits die hard. And I happen to love your penname too! The Disreputable Dog kicks ass! (But I happen to like Mogget a little better. .)

YAMIGIRL3 – Yami Bakura? Try to corrupt you? Hah! He couldn't corrupt Satan! Anyway, thanks for that, Isabella says 'hi', and everyone feels sorry for poor Jounouchi. Thanks for the review!

Sabriel: That's it! I'm done! Good-bye all, I hope to see more reviews!  
Hiei: --sweatdrop-- I don't.  
Sabriel: --knocks him out with her giant rubber mallet-- Sayonara everyone!


	5. The Realizations

AbhorsenSabriel87: Hello again peoples. Hiei went off to get me some coffee and himself a Guinness at the pub down the street, so there's no one here to do my AN Sectional with me right now... Unless you count Fox-boy, who's terrified of me at the moment. --points at Kurama, who's reading her fic on a laptop in the corner--  
Kurama: You are insane Sabriel! I don't know how Hiei puts up with you!  
Sabriel: Do the disclaimer and reviewer responses with me and I'll set you free, my wimpy little fox.  
Kurama: --nods and hands her list of reviewers--  
Sabriel: Thanks. Ahem........

Kibethan – Whatever. Dogs are fun, but cats rule all.

Elements – Well, thanks to the four of you! I shall update!

kenshinfan21 – I'll smack him later since he's out right now…  
Kurama: --sweatdrop--  
Sabriel: But right now --knocks out Kurama with mallet-- Kurama is out for your enjoyment. And this chappie _is_ a bit sad, but don't worry, it'll be better next chapter.

Flame Swordswoman – Hear ya loud and clear! Thanks for the compliments!

Kakarots-Frying-Pan – Yes, Seto is kawaii. --nods-- Thanks for recommending me to others, but don't get too addicted!

Angel-Belle – How do you know they're not real people in another dimension?  
Kurama: --has woken up, sweatdrops--  
Sabriel: --glares at him--

KillmeKissme – Omigods! I love that manga! I need volume 2 though… Anywho, thanks!

Sabriel: That takes care of that. Disclaimer, Fox-boy?  
Kurama: AbhorsenSabriel87 does not own any Yu Yu Hakusho or Yu-Gi-Oh! characters.  
Sabriel: ...Well, that works, I guess. Now on to the fic before I completely destroy the mood once again.  
Kurama: --runs away--  
Sabriel: --sighs-- Good help is so hard to manipulate.

------------------------

----"_NO! You can't hurt him! I won't let you!" A child's voice, pleading and afraid. "Let him go! He didn't do anything to you! Put him down!" _Seto Kaiba lay in the dark, asleep and tormented, his face in an expression of pain and agony. His hands gripped at the sheets covering him, the comforter on the floor in a pile. The thermostat in the room read only seventy degrees, but the young brunette was covered in sweat, tossing and turning in his four-poster bed.

_----"Please! Leave him alone! Mokuba didn't do anything! Take me instead, _I'm_ the one you're mad at!"_ His knuckles were white as he gripped the bed sheets tightly, his entire body tense and shaking. Tears formed at the corners of his tightly shut eyes and his teeth bit into his bottom lip as if to keep from screaming. _'Why am I seeing this again? Why am I hearing this again?'_

_----"Don't touch Mokuba!" A child's face, bruised and scared, appears before the darkness, his deep blue eyes wide and pleading. "I won't let you hurt him! He's not strong enough, I am!" Tears pour out of the eyes as they narrow in anger. "I won't let you defile my little brother!" Evil and maniacal laughter echoes in the dark as the boy's scared face disappears. _More sweat poured down Seto's darkened face and his jaw clenched tighter. Blood poured from his cut lip as he tried desperately to fight his nightmare. _'No, this can't be happening! Not again!'_

_----"I'll take his punishment Gozaburo!" A man's face, filled with malice and evil, smiles in the dark, then breaks out laughing in that hideous laughter from before. "Done Seto! You shall take his place!"_

----Seto's eyes snapped open and he sat straight up in bed, bare chest heaving in his effort to regain his breath. His eyes, wide in panic and fear, searched the room around him (never noticing his bleeding lip), and when they found nothing out of the ordinary, he got out of bed and slipped on a pair of loose shorts. After binding his ankles with workout bandages, he walked quietly out of the room and down the stairs to the basement levels. He opened a door, and walked into a dark room. After flipping the light switch, the florescent lights above revealed it to be a training room with all varieties of equipment stationed in various areas about the room. But he didn't want anything in there but one thing and one thing alone. Wrapping his hands in the thin workout tape as he walked, his eyes narrowed as he closed in on his target: a heavy punching bag, probably weighing at least one hundred and fifty pounds and definitely seen better days.

----Without stopping to get into position or stance, Seto reached back his left arm and punched the bag as hard as he could with his still waking strength. The black bag barely moved as he drew back his hand and countered with a right hook. Punches and kicks flew at the bag, one after another, increasing in strength and causing the bag to rock back and forth. The bag's metal harness/foundation started shifting closer and closer to the wall as the relentless onslaught continued.

----'Why?' he thought angrily as his strikes hit the bag with increasing force and sweat gleamed on his tense form. 'Why am I reliving that again? Why do I have to see his face again? I thought I was through with him after Battle City. Why do I have to remember what he did to me?!' Strikes landed harder as bits and pieces of memories flashed through his mind, memories of those five painful years with his step-father. Tears streamed down his face as the memories returned in larger pieces; his step-father standing over him, smiling that insane and domineering smile that he always had; Gozaburo clutching onto a seven year old Mokuba while a ten year old Seto pleaded with him to leave him alone...

----'He stole some of what little I had left then,' he thought bitterly, his rage drowning out the pain in his hands and bare feet as the cloth slowly seeped in blood coming from the scratches from the punching bag's uneven texture. But he felt nothing, only his rage and sorrow as he kept beating on the bag, the only way he knew how to release his emotions in their full form. But instead of going away, the emotions grew and fueled him even more 'And he almost took Mokuba, too. But I stopped that from happening by offering myself instead. Why was he like that though? Why did he have to do that to me? Why did he have to steal the innocence I had left?'

----A spinning heel kick landed wrong on the swinging bag, and the angle, as well as the momentum of the bag, made Seto lose his balance and fall to the ground on his hands and knees. But instead of getting up, he just sat there on the floor, tears streaming down his face. He just sat there, sobbing quietly so none could hear him. No one could, or would, come to help him anyway, right? Who would want to? He was no one: worse than those kids still stuck in the orphanage where he and Mokuba spent three years of their life. This life hadn't changed them for the better; it had sent them to the darkest depths of Hell and back... and Seto knew, even if he didn't know what he'd done, that he'd deserved all of it. Why else would those... _unspeakable_ things have been done to him otherwise?

----"Seto, what's the matter?"

--------------------

----Jou lay in the dark for a bit, thinking about what had happened over the last couple of days. His room had always been empty when he woke up after Seto had confessed about knowing his secret, but every time one of his nightmares started, that cool feeling was still there, like someone holding out their hand to guide him out of the nightmare into peaceful sleep. That had never been there before he'd been attacked by those three goons at the docks, but it was there after, and almost every time the dreams came back. Now, they were almost a whisper in the back of his head, reminding him that they were still there, but so faint, he didn't think much of them anymore. But, why _was_ Seto so worried about him like this? Was it because Yuugi was Jou's best friend and Seto was worried solely about Yuugi's state? He shook his head. 'Hardly,' he thought. 'He'd never have opened up like that if he was just worried about Yuugi. There's got to be something else to it...'

----A sudden, repeating noise cut through his thoughts. At first, it was pretty quiet, but then it grew a little louder each time. It sounded almost like someone was punching a wall in the lower levels of the house, but who would be doing that at this time of night? Curious, Jou gently tugged off the covers and slipped out of the bed with the grace and silence of a cat. His chest was bare, save for the bandages still covering his broken ribs, and soft, comfortable, navy sweatpants hung around his legs. He moved slowly and quietly down the halls and staircase, not making a sound; a habit and talent he had been practicing for the past week or so while everyone was asleep. When he reached the basement levels, the sounds got louder and he could hear it clearly: it was the sound of chains rattling, something soft being hit, and metal crashing against concrete and plaster. When he looked inside, he saw something he thought he'd never see.

----Seto was tearing apart a punching bag, his hands and feet bleeding from the constant friction and stress of his blows, his almost bare body gleaming with sweat. His upper body was completely bare, and the only actual article of clothing he seemed to have on was a pair of gray shorts covering down to his knees. The bag kept swinging back and forth, gaining more and more momentum each time it was struck. But what was amazing wasn't his strength, nor his perfect form, but the fact that tears were running down his face and that he didn't even seem to notice that he was injured. He just kept hitting the bag, as if beating it into oblivion could help ease his inner turmoil.

----Suddenly, after one of his kicks misfired, Seto fell to the floor. Jou expected him to get back up and continue beating the bag until it burst apart, but instead the brunette just sat there on the floor, his shoulders shaking and his tears and sweat pattering against the wooden flooring. Sympathetic, and a little curious, Jou walked silently through the doorway. "Seto?" he called quietly. "What's the matter?" The brunette didn't look up, but instead sat down, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Go away Jounouchi," he muttered. "Leave me be to deal with my own demons."

----"Ya know, that might just be your problem, Kaiba." Jou sat down next to him and the brunette lifted his eyes to Jou's face, one of calm and understanding instead of accusation. "You try so hard to do ev'rything by yourself that you forget what you have. I mean, no matter what your demons, there's someone in the world around you with the same ones. Ya just gotta look hard." Jou smiled slightly, looking off to the side and remembering how Yuugi had helped him feel better after his nightmares before the fight. "No one can understand exactly how you feel, Seto, but every once in a while, someone can relate."

----"The only person who knows anything is Mokuba," Seto muttered, "and he was too young to remember. All of the memories have been blocked out for him, the lucky kid." Seto half smiled, then winced when he felt the pain in his hands and feet set in. He straightened out his long legs just a bit so that he could see the extent of the damage on his feet, and Jou was able to see his face. "Jeez Kaiba!" he half shouted, cupping the other's jaw and turning Seto's face to meet his own. "You look worse than the last time I saw you! Haven't you been getting any sleep at all?" When Seto's eyes dropped and he jerked his jaw out of Jou's hand, Jou felt an unusual flicker of anger, and then he noticed Seto's bottom lip was cut and bleeding. The anger quickly died, replaced by bewilderment. "What happened to your face?" he asked quietly.

----"Nothing," Seto replied apathetically. "I'm fine, just go back-"

----"You're not fine and I won't go back to bed until you tell me what's wrong! I know I'm not one of those specially certified psychologists, but I still think I can help with your problems! Believe me, when you look like you haven't slept in weeks and went a round on yourself before beating a punching bag to the breaking point, something's wrong." Seto remained silent, until Jou grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard. "Seto Kaiba, if you don't tell me what's wrong, so help me God I'll-"

----"I had a nightmare, alright!" Seto shouted at him. "That's it! Now are you happy?" Jou stopped shaking him, but his hands remained on Seto's thin shoulders. "That's not everything, Kaiba, I know it isn't," he muttered. "If it was just one, you'd be back on your feet in a few hours. How long has it been going on?" When Seto didn't answer, Jou shook him once. "How long?!"

----"Almost two weeks," the other murmured, so quiet Jou could barely hear him. "And it's not just any nightmare; it's a form of night terrors that I know I can't rid myself of. I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can barely pay attention at my office... The only time I felt at peace was when I was sitting next to you in your room for the first weeks you were here, when I was trying to help you get over _your_ nightmares." Jou was shocked, but didn't have time to say anything, as Seto seemed to have lost control of what he was saying and just continued on. "I know that we're not all that different anymore, Jounouchi. We had the same past, different places, yes, but the same pain, the same unspeakable torment. One of the only differences is that your physical abuse is still going on, while mine stopped two years ago."

----"What? You mean that..." Jou sentence died as fresh tears flowed down Seto's cheeks, and yet the other smiled, even in the midst of remembering all of his pain. "Yeah, Jou," he muttered. "You got it; my step-father raped me for five years, all because I didn't want Mokuba to live with those scars."

----"He went after Mokuba first?" Seto nodded and Jou half smiled. "Ya know," he continued, moving slightly closer to him, "you may think that whatever triggered it was your fault, or that you were a coward to just accept it instead of fighting back, but listen to me: none of it was your fault, and you're the bravest guy I know." When the other looked at him, slightly confused, Jou only half-heartedly smiled and stared at the floor.

----"You protected your brother from that, and that takes sheer devotion and bravery. Me, I didn't have my sister to protect by then, and I just took it, too scared to do anything about it." Tears formed at the edges of Jou's eyes and he continued. "I know that it wasn't really my fault, but I couldn't get over it. Every time it happens, all I can think about was that first time, and how much worse this one is... and how _I'm_ too weak to stop it. But ya see, you dealt with it, and held out 'till the end, and then made a better life for you and your brother. That takes guts, and I can see how you think we're the same now. Even our night terrors are alike in certain ways, but I could never tough mine out like you did. I had no justification for just taking my... beatings. You are prob'ly the only guy I know who's ever done something like this, and that's a lot coming from me." The tears dropped then, just two small droplets on the hardwood flooring and twin trails down Jou's cheeks. "But ya see what I mean about opening up, Kaiba? It kinda helps to know you have another guy in your situation. It helps you listen to your own advice and help not only yourself, but someone else." He turned his dark chocolate eyes to Seto's face once again and smiled half-heartedly at seeing that he had the CEO's full attention. "Why don't we get your face and hands cleaned up, 'kay?" he asked, voice kind and somewhat back to normal. "It wouldn't do to well to have Mokuba see you like this."

----Seto just looked at the blonde next to him as he'd told his story, and realization slowly dawned on him. Jou was someone who actually cared about everyone around him but himself, and he wasn't that big, tough-guy he'd always pretended to be. He was just like him; a scared kid who didn't see how life could get better than the Hell he was already in, but he _had_ toughed it out, while Jou was still stuck in the misery and abusive world that was all he knew outside of his small circle of friends. When the tears had dropped from his face, Seto watched them fall to the floor, and then turned his eyes back to their prior owner, guilt and slight dawning came to him. Why had he picked on him all this time, teased him and taunted him when he didn't even know the full story. When Jou turned his face back to Seto's, he knew that he had to do something to help Jou, no matter the cost.

----At Jou's last comment, Seto smirked slightly. "Mokuba's seen me in worse shape," he muttered. Jou's smile grew, just a little. "That," he replied, "is hard to believe."

----"It's true. The whole part of Battle City, I was a nervous wreck. I didn't eat or sleep from start to finish on that project."

----"But I bet you didn't look like you'd gone three rounds with a pro boxer then." Seto chuckled slightly and smiled at Jou, a real one this time, nothing cynical or snide about it. "No, that I did not, although I did hear that every once in a while, it seemed like I wasn't all there." Suddenly, the wall built to harness all his emotions broke and a wave of despair, grief, and sadness overcame him, and he lifted one hand to his face, sobbing. All his control was gone, and he couldn't help it; he remembered everything, could almost feel it all happening again, all of the emotions bottled up for years spilled out, as if the bottle had gotten overfilled and had exploded, shattering his control over his emotions.

----At Seto's outburst of sobs, Jou did the only thing that made any sense at all; he wrapped his arms carefully around Seto's shoulders and hugged him, whispering calmly in his ear and letting him cry it out. Seto himself didn't know why this helped but it did and after a few minutes, his breaths returned to a normal pace and his shaking stopped altogether. He just sat there for a minute, and even as his head said that this wasn't right, it just felt right to him and he didn't move until Jou pulled back. "Better now?" the blonde asked kindly. "It really helps to let it out now and then, doesn't it?" Seto nodded and smiled at him, almost making him seem shy and a little sheepish. Almost.

----"Well, good then," Jou replied, hooking his arm around Seto's waist and pulling him up to his feet. "Now what's say we get you presentable for tomorrow?"

----"Whatever you say, Doctor Jounouchi," was the half sarcastic, half comedic response, and it did its job. Jou chuckled to himself as he helped Seto walk out of the room and up the stairs to the upper levels of the house.

----------------

----"Hold still! This doesn't hurt that bad!"

----"But Jou-"

----"No 'buts'. Now hold still!" Jou grabbed Seto's chin firmly, but gently, and applied the peroxide to the minor wound. Seto hissed in a breath at the sudden, but brief pain that died as quickly as it started. When Jou let go of his jaw, he jerked backwards and shot the blonde a deathly glare, which, of course, Jou laughed at. "Dun gimme that look, Seto Kaiba. And don't lick your lips either, that'll be a really foul surprise if you do." Seto didn't reply, but simply settled for glaring relentlessly at Jounouchi as the other took off the remains of the hand bandages and whistled the sight. "Damn, you've almost worn these down to the bone. Careful you don't, or these fingers may never type again, let alone at your record-breaking speed." With a wet towel, he carefully wiped away the drying blood on Seto's hands, and tsked at the scrapes. "Get thicker wraps, Kaiba," he muttered as he went about dabbing peroxide on the raw knuckles, while Seto just watched him do so without complaint. When Jou realized this, he looked up at the teen, grinning that big and goofy smile. Seto cocked an eyebrow at this. "What's _that_ look for?" he asked.

----"Ya know, I know for a fact that having peroxide rubbed on deeper wounds hurts more than shallow ones, yet you ain't complaining. Now why is that?" Seto blinked and looked off at the floor as Jou started on his other hand, blushing slightly. "I just...don't like people touching my face," he said quietly. "It's a thing I've had since I was young." When Jou looked up at his eyes, they were still cast downward and his face was still slightly pink. Jou nodded and replied, "I get it, no worries. He got your face a lot?"

----"In a way, yeah."

----"I'm actually pretty amazed though." When Seto looked back at him, Jou smiled and started on Seto's torn up feet. "I mean, he had to have been sober, or you extremely lucky, for him not to damage that nice mug of yours."

----"I'm guessing you were lucky?"

----"Yeah, and the fact that I knew how to duck and move my head so I wouldn't get any permanent damage."

----"That would've helped a lot, then." Jou smiled a bit, but not like before; this time it was sad and a little insecure. "Yeah, it would've," he replied quietly. "But all the knowledge of fighting arts in the world won't help against the verbal curveballs they throw at you. Those hurt the worst." Seto searched his face to see something hidden under the mask of concentration that he wore while he looked over the bleeding feet and cleaned them. He looked like the doctor at the hospital, muttering to himself as he cleaned up the wounds with ease and shaking his head, as if he couldn't believe one guy could hurt himself so much. "You know that the only reason I teased you was to get the reaction, right?" he asked quietly. Jou shrugged. "In a way, yeah," he replied.

----"He did the same, didn't he?" Jou paused and finished rewrapping Seto's feet in fresh bandages. "Yeah," he whispered when he finally finished. "Even if he didn't say it, you did." With confirmation of his fear, Seto bowed his head in shame, yet another emotion Jou had never seen from him. "I'm sorry," Seto said, voice barely audible as if he were afraid someone would hear.

----"Go back to bed, Kaiba. Get some sleep." When he looked up, Jou was on his way out the door. At the door, Jou turned back with a dark look on his face. "You need it," he finished, and then he was gone, leaving Seto once again alone in the dark, a darkness he knew, and feared, he could never escape until Jounouchi did.

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Sabriel: Finite!  
Hiei: --still sipping Guinness-- You're not done yet.  
Sabriel: With this chappie I am.  
Hiei: It wasn't all that good or interesting.  
Sabriel: --sticks tongue out at him--  
Hiei: --rolls eyes-- Ruining the mood _again_.  
Sabriel: Damn. Ah well, R&R people.  
Hiei: We will accept flames.  
Sabriel: --rolls eyes-- _Only_ if they are constructive criticism.  
Hiei: Whatever.


	6. The Unmasking

AbhorsenSabriel87: Welcome to chapter six everyone. I'm actually surprised that someone would actually read this story this far.  
Hiei: You must've gotten them hooked.  
Sabriel: Whatever. Anyway, sorry for all of the boring chapters, but I needed them to lead up to this one.  
Hiei: And what's in this chapter, may I ask?  
Sabriel: You may, I just won't tell you.  
Hiei: Just get on with it.  
Sabriel: Disclaimer first...  
Hiei: AbhorsenSabriel87 does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Yu Yu Hakusho.  
Sabriel: I own only the plot and my sick and twisted self. /puts in Evanescence soundtrack and listens to the music/ I also do not own Evanescence.  
Hiei: You wish you did though.  
Sabriel: What true fan doesn't?  
Hiei: Moving on...  
Sabriel: On with the fic.

-

The next day, Seto had been patched up and had slept for the few hours that he could, oddly enough without any nightmares. But guilt still plagued him and caused him to ignore the world around him and throw him into his work. At around two in the afternoon, he left his office and went home early, hoping to talk to Jou again, but at the same time wishing the blonde was asleep. He didn't know exactly why, but for some reason Jou made him feel more than he ever remembered; fear, guilt, shame... But he also seemed a perfect way to lose his worse feelings, the most reliable person to talk to. Why could he talk to him? What made Jou so damn special?

He shook the thoughts from his mind as he walked through the front door, the house quiet as usual. None of the servants but Angel worked between noon and four in the afternoon, so he knew that, unless Jou had awaken while he'd been at work, he'd be undisturbed. Right now, he didn't even want to keep working, so he simply set his briefcase down in the library, plucked a random book off the nearest shelf and glanced at the cover. It was an old book, its hardback cover bumped and scratched. He saw no title on the front or spine, so he simply opened the book. Inside were four words written as if by a calligraphist: _The Prophecy of Hieryn_. Puzzled, as he had never seen this book before, or even heard of its author for that matter, he sat down in the navy blue armchair and started reading the intriguing novel. After ten pages, he was entranced.

A clock chiming loudly in the entrance hall marked the time as three o'clock. Startled out of the fantasy world he had entered apparently just moments before, Seto placed the book gently on the coffee table in front of him and left the library calmly and quietly. At least, that was his plan.

As soon as he walked out of the room, he nearly ran into Angel, who gave a sharp yelp of surprise as she tried to rebalance her tray. Managing to succeed with Seto's instantaneous help, the pale blonde teen blushed a deep enough red to make a cherry look pale and started stuttering her apologies. Seto waved them off casually. "It's not a big deal Angelina," he said calmly. "We didn't see each other and it was an honest mistake." He noticed that the tray she was holding balanced a glass of water and a turkey sandwich. He cocked his eyebrow at the young lady in front of him, smiling slightly. "A little late in the day for a lunch break, isn't it?"

"It's not for me, sir," Angel muttered quietly. "I... I noticed you haven't been eating all that much, so I decided to make you a sandwich when I heard the door open. Please forgive me for my assumption." she added quickly, bowing her head almost twice as fast. Seto shook his head. "How about this," he stated. "I'll eat the sandwich if you swear on your life never to startle me like that again." Shock passed through the young teen's innocent eyes as she stared at her employer and nodded slowly as he took the tray from her and headed upstairs.

'I may as well eat something,' he thought. 'It'll be tough staying alive without eating at this rate, especially with my metabolism.' He peeked in on Jou, as Angel had apparently left the door open slightly. Jou's sleeping form didn't move an inch or sway from the calm and rhythmic pattern nature had set for him. Somewhat relieved and disappointed, Seto walked quietly down the hall and up another flight of stairs to his own room. Closing the door soundlessly, he placed the tray on the desk, sat in his chair and ate the sandwich, not really tasting it as his mind wandered. Noting, once he was done, that the bread was unnaturally dry, he proceeded to drink the clear contents of his glass quickly. Feeling slightly better, he stood to move the tray out of his way when he heard the door open behind him. Turning only slightly, he saw that is was Angel yet again, wearing faded baby blue jeans and a shoulder cut 3/4 shirt of the same color. Unlike usual, her hair hung straight down and her face wore no makeup.

"I'm going home now, sir," she said quietly. "I'll be back at eight like yesterday, if that's all right." When the brunette nodded casually, she motioned to the tray and dishes gracefully with her right hand. "Do you want me to take those down before I leave sir" Seto shook his head. "No need Angelina," he replied. "I'll take them down in a..." His sentence died off as the world suddenly seemed to tilt under him and his head filled with molasses. He raised one hand to his head and stumbled over to his four-poster, just barely making it as his head began throbbing dully and his legs gave out. 'What... the Hell?' he thought. 'What's... going on here? Why am I so tired?' He felt hands on his shoulders and tried to look up at the person. His eyes couldn't focus, but he knew that angelically blonde hair anywhere. "Go home, Angel," he muttered. "I'll be fine after I rest."

"Sorry Seto," came her voice as she shoved him onto his back, pinning his thin shoulders to the bed, "but I'm not going home quite yet, and I'm afraid your nap will have to wait until later." Her voice, always so quiet and shaky, now hissed darkly and coldly in his ear. Seto grabbed onto her arms to lift them from his shoulders, but found that all of his strength had been drained. "Angelina" he whispered"what are you doing? Get off me this instant." Instead of complying, she simply laughed and straddled his stomach, further preventing him from moving and purred, "I hardly think you're in any position to be giving orders right now Seto." Waves of sleep threatening him and draining his energy, Seto's arms fell back onto the bed and Angel's moved to pin them, succeeding easily. "As for what I'm doing," she continued, a malicious smirk on her usually calm features. "Well, you're about to find out, now aren't you"

Fear ran through his system and helped him stay awake, but did not return any of his former strength, but still he struggled against her, no matter how weakly or futilely. That malicious grin still on her lips, the angelic demon astride him bent down and kissed his neck gently, sending shivers through his body. Her hands left their place on his forearms and slid under his black turtleneck, stroking his abs and chest as she peeled it off of him. "Mmm, very nice," she stated. "I think the only reason you don't have a girl already is your little attitude problem."

"Angel, stop," he whispered, knowing there wasn't anything he could do if she answered otherwise. A flash of silver entered his line of view, however blurred, and lowered until he felt sharp and cold steel touching his bare chest. "I'll stop when I'm finished with you," the demon replied coldly, chilling Seto as much as the blade. "How much I have to use this depends on how much you cooperate with me." Sharp pain pierced into the center of his chest, cold steel slicing the skin and cutting deeply, enough to cause blood to flow openly and quickly over his chest. Agony streaked his thoughts, but for some reason Seto could not scream or call out in any way. Only a sharp intake of breath was allowed into his sluggish body.

"You bitch," he whispered hoarsely. "You drugged me."

"Ya think genius?" she replied. "I'm actually surprised you didn't see through my rouse sooner. You're supposed to be the most intelligent guy in Japan, and yet you fell for a poor girl's innocent act. Oh, and I'm not fourteen; I'm ninteen." Her left hand flipped the switchblade to her right as she moved slowly down his legs, fingers unhooking the belt at his narrow hips. She pulled lightly on the pants, just enough so the button undid itself easily and pulled them down slightly, revealing navy blue boxers and deliberately brushing her too long fingers across his member, sending a shiver of fearful pleasure through his body.

'No!' his mind screamed, but his body unable to respond. 'Not again! This can't happen again!'

"'Again'?" Angel muttered quietly, revealing that he had said his thoughts aloud. "Well, it seems my employer has had some trouble before. But don't worry your pretty brown head over it." She sat on his hips, her own pressing down on them quite forcefully and lifted his mouth to hers, kissing him more in power than in passion. When she pulled them apart, she stared straight into his eyes, hers holding only the darkest depths of evil. "I'll make sure you enjoy at least _some_ of this." She rocked her hips forward and back slowly, rubbing directly against his member again, sending more of the fearful pleasure racing through his veins.

'Oh God,' he thought helplessly, twin tears running down his narrow cheeks, 'if you can hear me... if anyone can hear me... Oh please help me!' Malicious laughter echoed in his mind and ears as burning pain slashed through his left arm, his own mind screaming in agony of the body and soul.

-

Jou woke up to hear a small crash and voices on the floor above him. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he felt like he needed to check it out. He glanced over at the analog clock on the far wall and saw that it was about ten after three in the afternoon. Sighing, Jou slipped out of the bed and saw that his clothes from his first night at the mansion were lying on the chair next to the nightstand. A folded piece of white paper lay on top of them. Curious, he picked up the paper and unfolded it. Written on the document in very neat and precise handwriting was a note.

_Jou, _it read, _these are your clothes from before. I had them patched up and cleaned for whenever you decide to leave. I hope you work everything out. Seto Kaiba_. Jou smirked and looked at the clothes again. 'Seems almost like he _wants_ me to leave as soon as I can,' he thought. 'Ah well, I can't blame the guy. I've been a thorn in his side since I got-' Uncanny laughter came from above him, startling him out of his thoughts to glance up at the ceiling. He furrowed his brow in confusion. That wasn't Seto's voice; it was a girl's. But the only girl ever here at this time was Angel...

A flash of insight passed through his mind, shocking him. He hurriedly put on his white T-shirt and dark blue uniform over it, then ran out of the room as fast as he could. If his guess was right, Seto was in a world of not only trouble, but probably pain as well.

-

Jou's guess was fact as Seto felt yet another slash of pain across his chest. She was torturing him, causing him pain and the fear of what he knew would come as soon as she got bored with causing him physical harm. All his hope had diminished, but even still he tried struggling against her, knowing it'd be useless. He reached his right hand up and, using what little strength he had left, shoved Angel onto the floor. Surprised, she cried out when she fell and hit the hardwood floor with a loud thump. Seto used the momentum of his struggle to roll onto his left side and weakly push himself up. Seeing that Angel was only twitching and groaning in pain at the moment, he shoved himself drunkenly to his feet and stumbled to the slightly ajar door.

He pushed the door open weakly, slumped against the wall, and inched his way out of the room. Angel wouldn't be stunned for long, and even that he'd stunned her in the first place was a miracle. He needed to get help, get to a phone or something. Above him the lights flickered and went out entirely. Cursing his foul luck, he staggered out into the hall. He saw a hazy figure ahead of him, but his eyes were so blurry, all he saw was a shape with golden blonde-brown hair. "Jou," he whispered. "Help me. Please." His strength faded into nothingness as he collapsed, the poison finally taking full effect and throwing him into deep sleep.

Jou had seen Seto stagger into the hallway, looking and walking like he was drunk, shirt off and pants slightly down. When the brunette turned towards him, he saw that various slashes and bruises covered his arms and chest. "Seto?" he called quietly. The other teen didn't seem to see or hear him correctly and whispered something before he collapsed onto the floor. "Seto!" Jou called, running over to his fallen companion and rolling him onto his back. The wounds he had acquired were deep and bleeding freely, but Seto lay there on the floor, passed out completely. "What the Hell did she do to you" Jou asked quietly, looking over Seto's wounds and trying to wake him up.

"You won't be able to wake him," came a cold, yet oddly familiar voice. Jou turned to see Angel behind him in street clothes. Her baby blue pants had blood on the thighs and her low-cut shirt had bloody handprints on the sleeves and left side of her waist. A malicious smirk ran across her face, and her perfectly angelic features seemed now the guise of the Devil. "I gave him a very useful and potent sleeping poison," she continued. "I doubt you'll be able to wake him up for quite a while."

"Why?" Jou demanded. "Why are you doing this to him?" Her smirk dropped into a deep look of hatred almost instantly and her jade eyes shone with fury and detestation. "Why would anyone want to harm or kill Seto Kaiba?" she sneered. "Let me count the ways."

"You despicable bitch! Like you, he's a guy who's out to survive."

"But unlike me, he's a heartless son of a bitch who doesn't give a damn about anyone who isn't of use to him."

"And the difference is that he's an SOB and you're just a plain, _overzealous _bitch." Outraged at his comment, the younger blonde dashed at Jou, switchblade knife in hand. Jou narrowly dodged her first strike by leaning to his left, but the blade still cut his right cheek open. Cursing under his breath, Jou leapt to his feet as Angel recovered from her miss and attacked him again. Normally, Jou would _never_ strike a girl, but as this was a special circumstance, he grabbed her arm as he moved away from the knife again and flipped her onto the solid ground, knocking the wind out of her and the switchblade from her hand. The silver object skittered across the floor and to the opposite end of the hall. Angel tried to escape from Jou's hold to retrieve the knife, but only managed to twist out of Jou's grasp before he knocked her unconscious, shoving his thumb into the delicate base of the skull at the nape of her neck. Instantly, she slumped to the floor without so much as a sigh and Jou stood again, glaring at her unconscious form.

"Didn't think I was awake all those times you talked to yourself didja bitch?" he spat quietly at her. Muttering vulgar curses under his breath, his anger turned almost completely to worry as he examined Seto's wounds again. "Come on Sets," he muttered under his breath, hoisting the other teen into the "wounded soldier" position. "Let's get you patched and woken up."

His sense instantly became alert as he heard the front door open and shut. "I'm home Nii-san," came a voice from downstairs, instantly recognizable as Mokuba's.

"Mokuba!" Jou called out. "Get up here to the third floor!" Footsteps padded up the stairs as Jou slowly walked over to the stairwell. "Jou, is that you?" Mokuba asked as he ran, slowly narrowing the distance between himself and the third floor. "You shouldn't be out of -" As he rounded the corner, he uttered a sharp gasp that cut him off mid-sentence. "Seto!" he cried out, rushing up to his incapacitated sibling in worry.

"Mokuba," Jou said calmly, "I need you to phone the hospital and the police station, now. I can help your brother right now, but only with his cuts, so hurry up." Mokuba nodded, looking torn and started back down the stairs when another crash resounded in the powerless mansion, like shattering glass. Then, eight others like it echoed in the vast halls. "What's going on?" Mokuba cried out as Jou stepped onto the staircase. That's when he smelled it: gasoline and burning wood. The house was on fire with all of them still inside.

Fear ran through Jou's veins as he saw the smoke quickly wind its way into the entrance hall, black and foreboding like an evil spirit coming to claim their lives. Soon, he knew, the fire itself would cut off their exits and they all would burn to death. 'My God,' Jou thought, shock numbing his body momentarily.

'We're all going to die.'

-

Sabriel: "I was stained, with a role..."/now listening to Vanessa Carlton/ Evanescence mixed CD/ Well, there you go readers: a nice and evil cliffy for you to wonder about until I decide to write chapter seven.  
Hiei: Which is when?  
Sabriel: Hm?.../leans back and sips a double chocolate mocha/ Whenever I damn well feel like it.  
Hiei: Ugh.../shakes head/ So, what the Hells is with the fire?  
Sabriel: Hm.../shrugs/ Plot twist, drama, ya know; mood changers.  
Hiei: You do realize with how Kaiba's house is built that it will be a one in five hundred chance that they all will get out alive, right?  
Sabriel: Who says that they're getting out alive? .../sips coffee/  
Hiei: ...You're sadistic...  
Sabriel: So are you. Now onto reviewer responses...

KillmeKissme - Um, thanks...It's really no big deal, I'm just doing my job... And I have volumes 1-7, so...yeah...

Kakarots-Frying-Pan - .../hugs back/ Thanks...  
Hiei: You're really wordy today.../sarcastic/  
Sabriel: Shut up Hiei; you suck.

CircleKV12 - You and everyone else who reviews...  
Hiei: Be nice.  
Sabriel: Meh...

DaughterofDeath - ...You need to get another catch phrase.

Kibethian - Yes, I like that last chapter (the one bfore this one mind you) a lot, too. It was kinda fun to write... Bwahaha, bashing Kaiba's ego...

Shadowy Fluffball - ...What do you think I just did?

kenshinfan21 - Well, here it is. Did you like it?

MagicalStarGirl - Thanks...compliments are always accepted...

kitsune-kun - ...What do you think _this_ is?

Tech1 - ... I actually planned from the start to finish this, but thanks for the encouragement... And you really don't need, or want to threaten me, because if you do...  
Hiei: Let's just say it won't be good for your health.  
Sabriel: But thank you very much... I hope you become a... happy panda...

mooopower - Yes, everyone likes seeing Seto crack.  
Hiei: It's very amusing.  
Sabriel: What about when you -  
Hiei: Not another word, Sabriel...  
Sabriel: Ah, whatever...

Sabriel: So here it is, my "pride and joy" so to speak. But if any of you ever want to see another chapter, you better give me reviews on my other fics! This is _not_ the only one that is fairly good!  
Hiei: Says you.../is instantly knocked out by authoress via a giant rubber mallet/  
Sabriel: I couldn't help it this time, and I've effed up the mood enough, so I hope you enjoyed my... /sees how many words are in chapter/... 3532 word chapter and really hope to see more reviews by Monday. Sayonara readers, and give me some good reviews please.


	7. The Fire

AbhorsenSabriel87: Here's chapter seven reviewers.  
Hiei: About damn time! --to readers-- She's been so fixed on this fic that she had writer's block on _all_ of her other ones!  
Sabriel: Not true. I started your story's chapter four didn't I?  
Hiei: You never finished it, thank the Goddess.  
Sabriel: So I had writer's block for a while. So what? It's not as if I've been swamped with reviews.  
Hiei: Close enough.  
Sabriel: --makes face at him and sips unknown liquid from travel cup-- Reviewer response time.  
Hiei: --sighs and prints off list of reviews and reviewers, hands it to Sabriel--

Flame Swordswoman - Yup, the house is on fire. And this chapter is more suspense and thrills than violence, but I may put some in there.

KillmeKissme - I liked how to make Angel that way too. That's why I created her in the first place.  
Hiei: She had the idea for Angel since chapter 3.  
Sabriel: Yup. And of course burning down Kaiba's place is okay! He _is_ hella rich and _can_ rebuild it. The only pain or regret I have for doing so is that there's a lot of cool stuff in Kaiba's place that I don't want to get crispy fried.

Dragoon-Hard Metal System 2 - Wow, long name, but thanks and I am.

CoconutDemon - Hey, I don't care how long it's been; as long as your reviews say that you enjoyed it, I'm happy. And the mallet is mine; it's always been my tool for bashing people into the floor or just plain unconscious.

harpies ladies - Thank you, thank you very much.

Angel-Belle - Does that mean you don't like the chapter? Oh, btw, Angel has no resemblance in any way to you. You're nice; she's not. There we go.

Shadowy Fluffball - ...You have _far_ too much free time on your hands...

darkpyra1 - Wassup Michelle?  
Hiei: --nods to Ahkra--  
Sabriel: And thank you Captain "State-the-Obvious" Ahkra. Yes you shall find out in this chapter, but I think I'm getting worse in my "skills". My abilities are going down the drain faster than a poor man's engagement ring for his girlfriend on Friday the 13th. And Mokie isn't a really big character in this. I really only put him in there because he matters to Kaiba and no one even puts him in JouxKaiba fics at all most of the time. And Mokie has a job and school that he _has_ to go to. Kaiba can take time off whenever he damn well pleases.  
Hiei: Wow, the rant is bigger this time.  
Sabriel: Shut up Captain "Kiss-My-Ass-Because-I'm-Cool-and-Gothic".  
Hiei: ...You're sad, and I have never once said that.  
Sabriel: Whatever.

astalder27 – Well, you will in this chapter!

Tech1 – …I don't need your forgiveness because I can put as many cliffies in here that I damn well want. If you don't like it, tough shit.  
Hiei: …… I don't think they'll like that……  
Sabriel: As I said, if they don't like it, tough shit.  
Hiei: --sighs--

kenshinfan21 - …Damn! You are psychic! I'm going to do that later, but neither Jou or Seto or Mokuba will carry it out. Nice work, little detective!  
Hiei: --sweatdrop--

WheelerWolf – Calm down, it's okay. You find out this chapter. --pats on head--

Sabriel: There. Now that that's over with, I can write this damn chapter.  
Hiei: You're just upset 'cuz you had writer's block.  
Sabriel: Now who's ruining the mood, jackass?  
Hiei: --glares-- AbhorsenSabriel87 does not own Yu Yu Hakusho, Yu-Gi-Oh!, or The Prophecy of Hieryn.  
Sabriel: I own only my own sick and twisted self. --puts on Inuyasha soundtrack-- And I do not own Inuyasha.

((((Kaiba's mansion))))

"What are we gonna do!" Mokuba shouted. He turned to Jou, grey-violet eyes wide in fear. "Jou, we have to get out of here!" Jou snapped out of his shock and nodded. "How else is dere to get out of here besides de downstairs?" Jou asked calmly, but urgently. Mokuba looked around for a minute, then returned his panicked gaze to Jou and his injured brother. He gulped and pointed shakily to the second floor. "We could get out through the windows if we pick one that's by the trees. Then we can climb out." Jou nodded and replied, "Then you go that way first. I know fer a fact dat Kaiba here cares more about you than 'imself, and he would skin me alive if I let you die in here."

"But I have to stay with Seto!" Mokuba cried out, taking a step towards the two older teens. Jou stepped back, glaring at the young boy. "Mokuba, if you don't get yer ass outta here right now," he started, "I'm gonna personally throw you out of one of the windows! Now move kid!" Mokuba took a step back, then looked at Angel, still unconscious on the floor. "But what about-" he started.

"Go you idiot! Let me worry 'bout that! Move it!" Mokuba nodded and took off down the stairs onto the second floor while Jou knelt down and shifted Seto onto his back, picking Angel up "bridal style" as well. 'Damn my conscience,' he thought bitterly, 'but I can't for the life of me leave this bitch behind, no matter how bad I want to.' Moving as fast as possible with the combined weight of Seto and Angel as well as his still-delicate ribs, Jou maneuvered his way down the stairs. The fire had already claimed the downstairs hostage and was now working its way upstairs at a rapid pace. Jou reached the second floor about the same time as the fire and looked around, searching for the way out as the heat sucked the water and oxygen from the air, making it hard to breathe and keep his throat wet.

"Over here!" came Mokuba's voice to his right. "Hurry Jounouchi!" Jou didn't need telling twice; he hurried blindly in the direction of Mokuba's voice, the fire spreading around him. He found the room Mokuba had motioned him into and hurried in, but the fire still managed to get in before him. Mokuba yelped as the heat washed through the room and singed his clothes. "Hurry Jou!" he called. "We don't have much time!"

"Jump out now Mokuba!" Jou called over, his voice hoarse and throat dry. "I'll lower Angel to you, then climb down with your brother."

"Okay!" came Mokuba's response, as well as a rush of cool air as he opened the window. Jou could see through the heat Mokuba climbing onto the tree and motioning for Jou to hurry. Jou walked as quickly as possible over to the window and handed Angel through to Mokuba, who dragged her to the safety of the branch. But before Jou himself could climb out, the beams above him cracked and fell overhead. He jumped away, back into the room as the flaming pieces crashed in front of the window. Mokuba shouted to him, but Jou couldn't hear it over the roaring flames around him. He looked around wildly, semi-conscious of the fact that the room was becoming increasingly hotter. He noticed a vase of flowers on a table that had yet to be touched by the fire and picked it up, pouring the water over himself and injured companion. Then, he ran.

Jou ran out of the room through the door and down the hall as all around him searing heat as orange, gold and red flames licked at his damp legs. He ran down the hall, looking for and alternate escape route, but found none. Panicking, he ran up the stairs to the third floor, miraculously only barely touched by the fire... for now. No where to go, he ran into one of the rooms and slammed the door shut to prevent smoke from entering. Glancing wildly around, he saw that the room had a window that looked over the backyard and had a few other doors. Ready for any option, Jou opened the window and looked down There was nothing to break his fall if he jumped, and he'd only hurt Seto further if he dropped him. Sweating and golden hair falling damply into his eyes, he tried the other door in the room.

The door opened to reveal a completely electronic passageway leading down to the lower floors. _For once, I'm happy you love technology so much Kaiba!_ Jou thought, shifting the unconscious teen on his back and running down the hot passageway. The walls were tinted red from the intense heat of the fire and Jou could feel the rubber soles of his shoes melting on the oven-hot stairs as he ran. He saw two doors as he went and chose the further down one, kicking through the burnt wood easily. A wash of flames licked at him, causing him to cry out and step back for a moment until the flames retreated. Narrowing his eyes to protect them from the intense light and heat, as well as debris, he saw that this was an expansive library, filled with books, nearly all of which were burning in the bright inferno. Taking a chance with the only pass he saw, Jou ran into the room quickly.

All of the water seemed sucked from the air and his clothes had almost finished drying and were starting to burn. He focused his eyes on the broken window to his left and shifted Seto so that he could carry him easily in his arms. Then, he ran at the window, jumping through at the last second, protecting Seto from the glass and wood. The two hit the ground hard and Jou lost his grip, letting Seto tumble out of his arms and onto the grass a few feet away. Cool air washed into Jou's lungs as he breathed the cool air, tainted only by the smell of smoke. He looked over at Seto laying there, back to him, and Jou saw more of the damage inflicted on the poor teen.

Long, deep cuts ran all down his back, bleeding stopped from the heat, and first degree burns covered his entire back and most of his arms, shoulders, and neck. Jou scootched over and pulled Kaiba's black slacks up, rebuttoning them and retying the belt. He also took off his jacket and pulled Kaiba into a sitting position, placing the blue fabric around his shoulders and fitting his arms through. _You have _got_ to make fewer enemies, Seto,_ he thought, exhausted. He once more took Seto onto his back and walked slowly and painfully into the front, now hearing sirens as fire trucks neared closer. _NOW they come_, Jou thought bitterly, hurrying with his aching ribs to Mokuba, who was slightly off to the side near the gates of the mansion, dialing a combo to let the fire trucks pass in.

"Hey kid," Jou said quietly, kneeling down next to him. Angel lay sprawled out carelessly a few feet away, hidden slightly by the gate and Jou glared angrily at her unconscious form. Before, he just wanted to have her leave him alone. Now he wanted to do to her exactly what she did to Seto.

He shook the thoughts quickly from his mind as the fire engine and paramedics rushed into the drive. "Come on," he said to Mokuba, who nodded and lifted Angel up on his shoulder like a wounded soldier. The two walked over to the paramedics and Jou shouted, "Hey! We need some help over here!" One of the white suits looked over at them, then motioned for a few more to come with him. "Who are you?" he asked, brown eyes staring directly into Jou's own as one of the others took Angelina from Mokuba and checked her out.

"Katsuya Jounouchi," he replied boldly. "I saw the place and the door unlocked and ran in. I managed to get these guys out, but the girl and this guy need some medical attention now. The kid is just a little singed." Mokuba nodded as another medical assistant check him out and the other confirmed that Angel had a concussion and would be out for a while. The first one nodded and helped take Seto off his back and placed him on a stretcher, hooking him up to a respirator and getting him into the ambulance. The other paramedic did the same to Angel and the assistant helped Mokuba step into the ambulance.

"Is there anyone inside?" a firefighter asked Jou, having just walked up. "No one else," Jou replied. "Everyone got out all right. Just put out de fire, okay?" The firefighter nodded and ran back to the scene to help his comrades while Jou turned to the paramedics. "I'm comin' with," he said, getting in with Mokuba. The doctors didn't object and just closed the doors after him with a loud bang. Jou sat next to Mokuba and smiled reassuringly. "Seto will be fine," he said quietly to the upset child. Mokuba only nodded and leaned on Jou, crying as the ambulance left the burning house and headed into town.

((((Hospital))))

Jou was being treated at the same time as Mokuba in the same room by the same doctor who had treated Jounouchi before. Jou didn't recognize him, but then again, he _was_ unconscious the whole time he was last here. The doctor checked Mokuba first, and noting no real injuries besides a slightly burnt left hand, wrapped it and went to Jou. He poked and prodded his ribs and checked over the burns. "Looks like your ribs are cracked again, Mr. Jounouchi," he said quietly, running a hand through his copper hair and pulling out his bandages again. "Remove your shirt and lie down on the table so that I can wrap them." Jou complied promptly and the doctor was finished in a matter of minutes, just as the lead paramedic walked in quickly.

"Dr. Knisely wants you, doctor," he said. "She's got Seto Kaiba in room 201 and she says it's urgent to see you and Mokuba Kaiba." The copper haired doctor nodded and walked out, Mokuba following him. Jou stayed where he was, as he knew that doctor-patient confidentiality would be void if he came in with them. He just sat on the table, waiting and thinking about the night before.

Seto had been so distant then. Not that the guy was the most open person in the world, but Jou could at least see what he was thinking every once in a while. Then, it was like he was lost; in a memory or in himself Jou couldn't decide. But he knew that never once had he seen those looks on his face before. That shame, the embarrassment, the sad smile while he was crying. _Yeah Jou,_ he could hear in his head. _You got it; My step-father raped me for five years..._ Why? Why did people do that? How could they live with such a... such a despicable thing? If there was a God, why did he allow these people to exist?

_-Because there is no God,_ Jou thought bitterly. _If there was... neither Kaiba nor I would be here... But then again, we'd never had gotten to be like that... he looked so upset..._ Jou had the strong urge to start crying, but instead smiled. How much last night he wanted to just wipe Seto's tears away, brush them off, kiss them away...

He shook his head again, shock entering his mind briefly. _No way, _he thought. _Even if he is like me, why would he get together with me? He'd probably be like before and just ignore and taunt me... But I have to admit; some of those were pretty funny. "Monkeys can't fly" my ass._ He looked up into the hall and sighed, left to his own thoughts as doctors scuttled by like rats and patients filed in like cockroaches.

((((Room 201))))

"Will he be alright?" Mokuba asked the doctor as she walked in. Dr. Knisely was a young black woman (see chapter 3) and she sighed as Mokuba walked in. "He'll be fine," she said calmly, "but I need to ask you exactly how this happened, Mr. Kaiba." Mokuba's eyes filled with tears and he ran to Seto's side to hide them. The teenager's arms and chest were bandaged extensively and an I.V. flowed steadily into his left hand. For once, Mokuba actually saw his brother asleep, not hunched over a desk or a computer. Unfortunately, it made Mokuba miss how his brother would always looked up and smile at him, ask him what he was doing up, and tell him to get some sleep.

"I'm not Mr. Kaiba," he said quietly, forcing back tears. "That's Seto. I'm just... Mokuba." The woman looked sympathetic and kneeled down next to the dark haired boy, hooking an arm around his shoulder and saying, "Seto will be fine, I promise. We cleaned, stitched, and wrapped his wounds and gave him an anti-toxin for the drugs in his system. She gave him a pretty low dose, but it was still able to knock him out." Mokuba nodded, still holding onto his brother's right hand tightly. "What happened Mokuba?" she asked again, kind and stern at the same time. The thirteen year old bowed his head and whispered, "I don't know. He was like this when I got home from school."

"Was there anything unusual?" she asked. "The girl and Katsuya Jounouchi, what were they doing there?" Mokuba bit his lip, not sure what to say. Dr. Knisely seemed to understand and said quietly, "Listen. Dr. McKinley and I worked on Jounouchi last time he was here. It says in the medical records that this time your brother gave the authority to release Jounouchi. What were they doing at your house?"

"Angelina works for us," Mokuba replied quietly. "She said she was fourteen and needed a job to help pay for her apartment with her mom while she studied at home. I don't know why Jou was there." _He should have already been gone,_ the young boy thought, trying his best to maintain composure like his brother always did. The African woman sighed and nodded slightly, looking at the red haired doctor behind her. "I don't suppose I could get any more information from you Kale?" she asked hopefully. The other doctor shook his head and gave off his prior excuse of doctor-patient confidentiality. The surgeon sighed and stood, looking once more at the chart. "I'll go see to Angelina," she said, sounding tired. "You may wait here as long as you wish Mokuba." She left the room and walked down the hall, leaving Mokuba and the red haired doctor alone in the room.

_-He'll wake up soon,_ Mokuba thought, taking a seat next to his incapacitated brother and looking at him sadly while the doctor rechecked the IV they had him hooked up on. _I know he will. He has to._

((((Author's Notes))))

Sabriel: Omigods that was a long chapter. --shakes hands--  
Hiei: That's what you get in not writing for the longest time.  
Sabriel: Shut up. Ah well, review my faithful readers and I shall get another chapter up soon.  
Hiei: Hopefully.


	8. The Punishment

AbhorsenSabriel87: --blinks and looks around-- Oh, I'm back here again... Wow it's been a long time...  
Hiei: ...  
Sabriel: --looks over at Hiei-- How long has it been since I touched this fic?  
Hiei: At least a few months...  
Sabriel: ... What's the deal with you?  
Hiei: --glares and walks off--  
Sabriel: --fuming-- Great, there goes the only muse that can tolerate this fic... --thinks about it-- Hmm... I wonder... Yeah, that's probably it. --sighs-- for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, another angst story I have up on this site (non-yaoi this time; sorry) titled _Strength of Heart_ involves a lot of problems for the Reikai Tentai, including near-death and life-changing experiences. Hiei's kinda pissed because he got the short end of the stick in that one, so to speak. --shrugs and sighs-- Well, since I have no muses anymore, I'll do the disclaimer myself:  
Note to all idiots who dare to try and sue me with copyright infringement; I do not own any _Yu Yu Hakusho_ or _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ characters, or anything that's been copyrighted in the history of the world. I own only the sick and twisted plot, as well as any sick and twisted villains not part of the series already. Speaking of which, that's the first POV you'll find this chappie... _Anyway,_ thank you, and now onto reviews and into the story.

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---"Damnit... Why the fuck did we use your idiot cousin anyway?" Mavrek look over at the brunette, scowling darkly. "She should have been able to have her fun and leave, but she fucked up!" Aaron continued angrily, grey eyes flashing. "You told us that she was perfect, but the bastard and his brother are still alive."

---"Watch where yeh step, lad," Mavrek murmured coldly, his own violet eyes icy and hard. "Ah ne'er said she was perfect. Ah only said she had 'er own reasons and would be more than 'appy to 'elp. Lay off already. It's not like any of them are goin' anywhere." The room was a simple apartment with only a couch, two metal chairs, and wooden table in the main room. Aaron was leaning against one of the white walls, an irritated and infuriated glare on his face, while Mavrek stood next to the only window and Julian stretched lazily across the couch with a bottle of scotch in his right hand. The bottle was already half-empty and three glasses sat in various places on the table. "You're a fucking pain in the ass," Aaron spat, getting more and more irritated every time he thought about Kaiba and Mokuba safe and sound in the hospital, which was about every second or so.

---"Hey, cool it Aaron," Julian said calmly, his pure blue eyes looking directly at his pissed-off ally. "We hit him pretty hard in the first place. He's not leaving the hospital, and when he does he'll have to find another place to go because we torched his mansion." The brunette simply grumbled something off and glared at the wall as if he wanted _it_ to burst into flames too. "Your skank cousin isn't getting out of this without punishment," he growled darkly. "I hope you know that, little Scotsman."

---"Ah know," the lavender-haired man replied. "Ah dun really care 'bout 'er anyway. She's only mah cousin by 'er uncle's marriage to mah bitch mum. Ah'll kill 'er mahself if yeh want meh to."

---"Isn't that a little harsh?" Julian asked, looking over at Mavrek calmly. "Killing her would leave far too much evidence. Plus, she may have uses in the future. I say we just teach her that failure is not an option."

---"How?" Aaron spat darkly. "You suggesting we torture her or summat?"

---"Sort of. That is _if_ you don't object, Mavrek." The lavender-haired young man "hmph"ed and glared out the window. "Ah already said Ah'd do it mahself," he replied icily. "But we better deci' what we're goin' ta do already; we 'ave an expected visitor."

---"Well then, a toast to the lady of the hour," Julian replied, grinning as he poured the rest of the bottle equally into the three glasses. The young men each picked up their own glasses and downed the scotch without problem. "Damn waste," Mavrek whispered, placing his glass back on the table carefully before walking over to the door as someone began to knock on it.

---"Mavrek!" a feminine voice sighed in relief as he opened the door. "Thank God you're here. I'm so sorry; I didn't know the blonde was still there!"

---"Dun worry 'bout it Angelina," he replied softly, stepping aside to let her inside. "How'd yeh git bah the security? They shoul' 'ave ben all over yeh."

---"I know my way around a hospital," Angel answered snidely, stepping inside and flipping her golden hair over her shoulder, looking over at her cousin with contempt. "I was able to bail you out a few times back home, wasn't I?" She stepped into the living room and slipped her backpack off her shoulder. When she glanced at the other boys, she started and dropped the bag to the floor in surprise. "Julian, Aaron, what are you two doing here?" she asked, trying to sound casual even though her eyes told them she knew she was in trouble. "Mavrek said he was alone here."

---"When you called, he was," Julian replied, calm as ever as he stood and made his way over to her. "But we decided to keep him company for a bit." The teenager nodded, still wary of the other boys as she stepped back. "I can come by another time," she said quickly, reaching down to pick up her bag. "I can see you guys are-" She turned around in time to see her cousin close the door and lock the deadbolt. He smirked darkly and walked over to her, silent and graceful. "Busy?" he asked, locking his icy eyes with her frightened baby blues. "Not at all. Ahs a matter o' fact, yer righ' on time."

---"Quit playing games," Angel laughed nervously, glancing from Mavrek to Aaron to Julian as she spoke. "What do you mean I'm 'right on time'?"

---"Nothing, just that we've been expecting you for a while," Julian replied softly. "I believe Aaron and Mavrek have a few words they wish to share with you." Angel paled considerably and looked over at Aaron, definitely nervous and frightened. As Julian backed off a bit to resume his seat on the couch, Mavrek also returned to his place by the window and closed the blinds. Now directly in the center of the room, Angelina cowered slightly, but tried her best to feign being casual as the heavily-muscled brunette made his way over to her in two steps. "Listen," she said quickly, as if trying to change his mind, "I seriously didn't know that little punk-ass kid was still there. I had been told that he would have been gone by then, I swear."

---"We know," Aaron replied coldly, making the eighteen year-old cringe slightly. "But you should have made sure to check." As she opened her mouth to respond, his grey eyes flashed darkly and he slapped her hard across the face, knocking her to the floor. She looked back up at him in questioning fear, her bottom lip split open and bleeding badly. "You fucked up," Aaron snapped. "And now we're going to return the favor." As she tried to protest, he yanked her back to her feet by her hair, making her protests turning into a sharp yelp of pain. "Please, have mercy," she gasped, trying to remove her hair from his grasp. "Stop it Aaron, this hurts!"

---"But Ah though' yeh _liked_ pain, li'ile cousin," Mavrek hissed darkly in her ear, appearing out of nowhere. "Yeh seemed ta enjoy what you did ta me qui' a bit. We're just returnin' the favor." Angel once more paled and tried to look at her cousin as he placed his switchblade into her line of vision. "Yeh seemed ta like knives as fah as Ah remember," he continued, speaking almost soothingly as he placed it to her throat.

---"N-no, Mavrek, please, I didn't mean it!" she pleaded, now struggling to get away from them both. "Shut up and pay attention you little shit," Aaron snarled, pulling up hard on his fistful of golden waves. Angel let out a sharp yelp and closed her eyes as tears of pain fell from them. "We don't care what your fucking excuse is; failure is _not_ acceptable and therefore must be punished."

---"Why don' we show 'er what she was_ supposed_ ta do?" Mavrek murmured. "Then Ah can repay yeh, little cousin, for yer _practice round_ on me." He traced the blade across her neck, leaving a thin red line across its path. Angel hissed in pain and froze, not wanting the blade to cut any further into her skin as Julian laughed. "Now _that's_ an idea, Mavrek!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "And it's one I think all of us can enjoy."

---"W-wait! St-stop!" Angel cried as she tried to pull away from Aaron. "I'm sorry! I won't screw up again, just please!"

---"'Please'?" Aaron asked, looking over at Julian. "Now why would she say please... when she apparently doesn't want to?" A smirk ran over the dark-haired man's features. "Mixed messages," he muttered, locking his blue gaze with hers. "You shouldn't send mixed messages, little girl. People might take them the wrong way." Angel's eyes widened in fear as Aaron dropped her to the ground. She staggered for a moment, her hair falling wildly over her face. She shoved it back and, in panic, ran for the door, forgetting it was locked until the last second. When she turned around, Mavrek pinned her arms against the door and looked her up and down for a second before returning his malicious violet eyes to her frightened azure gaze. "Mavrek, come on, please don't do this," she muttered hopefully. "We've known each other since we were kids, are you really going to hurt me just because these guys say so?"

---"Absolutely," he answered darkly, jerking her arms above her head and holding them steadily against the door with one hand as his right cupped her face gently under her chin. "But mainly, it's payback for me, yeh little whore." Swiftly, he jerked his hand down and tore through her blouse, ripping the delicate fabric apart easily in one stroke and revealing the thin lace covering her small, round breasts. "Women aren' normally mah desire," he whispered, unlatching the belt buckle at her waist slowly. "Ah think yeh made sure of tha'. But just this once, Ah think Ah can be... flexible." As he started to slip the belt off her waist, Angel jerked one of her hands free and clocked him straight across the temple. He staggered in pain, and as his grip on her other hand loosened, she slapped him and ran through the kitchen to the bathroom, locking the door before anyone could get to her or him.

---"Damnit! Tha' little bitch!" Mavrek growled darkly blinking away the pain in his skull as Julian came over and helped him to his feet. Mavrek's hand still remained clenched around the belt that had pulled away from her waist and he glared scathingly at the door. "Ah will kill 'er, Julian, just give meh a chance, and Ah swear Ah'll do it."

---"Hush, Mavrek," Julian muttered in his ear, pulling the Scotsman closer to him gently. As his back touched Julian's well-toned chest, he instantly relaxed and moved as close as he could. Aaron smiled from across the room and motioned to the door. "How thick is this thing," he asked calmly. "It leads only to the bedroom, right?"

---"It's hollow," Mavrek muttered, turning his gaze up to Julian lovingly and smiling softly. "It'll break easily enough. Ah dun care; Ah'll replace it later." Julian returned the smile as Aaron nodded and stepped back from the door. "Are you ready for this, little Mavrek?" Julian asked looking over the other's features slowly. "Maybe you need to get ready, hmm? And Aaron can go first with our little skank." Mavrek only gasped in pleasure as his lover's hand slid down his stomach and under his jeans, and (taking this as his cue) Aaron grinned and busted through the door.

---"Oh, where are you, little Angel?" he called out, sliding open the door to bedroom. Inside, there was very little; a cot against the far wall and a wardrobe that was rather battered and small. Any partial hiding spot could be easily recognized by the giant of a man, and he grinned at not only the fear he knew was running in his prey's veins, but at the soft moans of ecstasy coming from the other room. Quiet as a large jungle cat, the beast of a man stalked through the room, looking in every hiding place before standing at the side of the bed. "Huh," he muttered, feigning ignorance. "Well, she couldn't have just disappeared... which leaves-" He reached his hand under the bed swift as lightning and grabbed something cylindrical. A sharp yelp of surprise came as well, a struggle to break the giant's grip coming from the owner of the slender wrist. Without any concern for the struggling girl, Aaron pulled her out from under the cot hard and slamming her against the wall. Her eyes stared blankly for a moment at the impact as the brunette's two other companions came back.

---"You ready?" Aaron asked Mavrek, although he didn't really need to. It was pretty well obvious that Julian had achieved what he had been attempting just a few moments ago. "Yah," the younger boy said, glaring vehemently at the dazed girl as she began to clear her head. "Dun worry abou' it. Ah've got this." With a shared grin from Julian, Aaron followed the darker haired man out into the living room as Mavrek pulled his cousin to her feet and shoved her onto the bed hard. "It's just us now," he breathed as the door closed, coming up next to her as she let out a low moan of pain from jarring into the wall. "But dun worry, lass; unlike you, Ah dun need any _tools_ ta get wha' Ah want."

---Angel could barely see through the fog and red dots of pain crossing her vision. She couldn't move either; her entire body felt heavy, weighted down by the pain she was in from being thrown against the wall and hit so many times. Feeling a warm pressure next to her, she looked over, noticing her cousin sitting there like he used to when she was sick. "Mavrek?" she asked timidly. She realized almost instantly, though, that this was nothing like when they were kids when his hand pressed hard on her throat. The harsh pressure silenced her words and restrained her breathing. Her hands fluttered up the his and tried to peel the appendage from her windpipe.

---It didn't work. With his other hand, Mavrek quickly grasped onto the waistband of the jeans and pulled, snapping the button off and the zipper in two as he jerked them down her pale legs. As the article of clothing reached her knees, he stopped and glared up at her face, then looked down at her hands on his. She'd been piercing the skin on his hand with her nails for the past moment, not enough to bleed, but still enough to show her defiance. Growling darkly in displeasure, he pulled her upright by her neck and slammed her head against the headboard.

---Splitting pain ran though the teen's skull, dazing her enough to release his hand from her grip. When she finally got her coordination back, Mavrek was already on top of her, his hands painfully latched onto her thighs. She realized that while she was disoriented that he'd stripped her of her white underwear. She tried to reach for him, to pull him off, when her arms found resistance. Looking up, she saw her hands tied together by her belt and latched onto the headboard. Terrified, she looked back to the violet haired boy as he slowly withdrew the tampon she'd had in for only an hour or so.

---"Commin' of the red tide, eh?" he chuckled darkly, tossing the soiled object aside as he grinned up at her wickedly. "Wondah what tha' means if we all 'ave our fun."

---"Mavrek, please don-" Her plea of mercy was cut off by his harsh thrust into her, turning into a yelp of pain. His hands tightened, sending fresh waves of pain through her legs while he continued to slam himself into her. Each time, he did nothing erotic, nothing to please; only to hurt and threaten… and promise. She couldn't hold all of him (she knew that from the initial entry), but he continued to ravage her fully, his erect penis barraging heruterin wall with no remorse.

---It hurt more than anything she'd ever remembered… yet she couldn't help the sensations her body forced her to feel.

---When it was finally over, he removed himself, leaving her tied and beaten and sobbing on the bed. He didn't bother to replace her clothes as he donned his own. He simply left the room, stepping casually over the broken pieces of the door. He nodded to Aaron, and the brunette gave an animalistic smirk as he stood fluidly and maneuvered his large frame into the room as the Scotsman sat broodingly next to their leader and lover. The giant of a man smirked at the bruised and bleeding girl in her nude state, and instantly understood Mavreks reasoning to leaving her clothes off.

---After all, why put them back on when someone else was just going to rip them off again?

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Sabriel: Yeah, yeah, whatever. It's finally here, so quit nagging me. Here are the reviewer responses…  
Hiei: --hands over list--  
Sabriel: When did you get here?  
Hiei: Does it matter? --glowering at her--  
Sabriel: Not really. --takes list-- Okay, here we go.

kenshinfan21 - Did Angel get the punishment you thought she deserved? There's more, butI didn't feel like writing it...

Asj Johnson - Kaiba will wake his ass up eventually (maybe when I get around to writing the next chapter...)

Rayne - Thanks for the compliments. Mokuba is so sweet when he wants to be... anywho, thanks. And everyone wants to hug Kaiba, even when he's being an ass.

Shadowy Fluffball - Thanks, I don't have much time either, so I only have time to read one "continue" anyway.

The Anibee - Wootith! I 3 Ghost in the Shell! --grins--

Angel-Belle - Sha, but the Devil isn't responsible for everything bad in the world. He just helps out us humans in enacting our own twisted ideas. And I know you would never do that to Seto. --smiles-- You're a reviewer! What reviewer of this fic would?

WheelerWolf - --laughs a bit-- Yeah, all my reviewers are loved. Don't worry about Seto, he'll be fine soon enough. I hope this chappie was worth waiting for, too.

Flame Swordswoman - Seto's not gonna die, jou would make an uber-sexy fireman, and Angel doesn't die either (...yet... I dunno if I wanna kill her off yet...). She does get punished, however, as I wrote above. I hope you approve.

kk - Yes, actually. They should appear sometime in the next chapter or the one after, but I'm doing some other fics after this one as a part of a series for them. (Yes, there are to be more Yin and Yang stories after this one... If I can get the time to write them...)

Sabriel: Anywho, hope you all approve and enjoy.  
Hiei: Hn.


	9. The Reunion

AbhorsenSabriel87: Well now, it's been a while again. I thought I was going to get more reviews than I did, but then again that last chapter wasn't very good, so I suppose it's conceivable.  
Hiei: What are you ranting on about, ningen?  
Sabriel: Nothing much. Anywho, for those who did review, responses are at the end of the chappie as usual, and now onto the fic.

Disclaimer: My stuff is too angsty for the real Yu-Gi-Oh!, so don't even suggest that I own it. Also, Hiei is only my muse, and though I play with his mind and bought his soul on eBay, I don't own his character.

Hiei: My soul isn't yours! You bought the fox's!  
Sabriel: --hits him in head with her mallet--

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---When Dr. Knisley came back, Jou knew something was wrong. Her face was set in a mask of confusion and worry, bordering on anger. "Sumthin' wrong, Doc?" he asked, straightening as soon as she entered the room. The surgeon looked up, then looked back down at the chart in her hands.

---"That girl who was with you has already left the hospital," she stated coldly, as if his action displeased her greatly.

---"Oh, good," Jou answered, doing his best to feign relief even though his blood had run ice cold. "That means she's okay, right?"

---"…Yes." The doctor looked up at Jou, then bluntly asked, "What were you really doing at the Kaiba mansion today, Jounouchi-san?" Jou could tell it wasn't really a question, though he also knew that no one could know that Kaiba had been taking care of him for the past two weeks.

---"Look, as I said, I was walking by and I saw the flames," Jou explained carefully. "I ran inside because I thought I heard Mokuba hollering for help." The woman still looked suspicious, but decided to drop it for now. Checking over his chart, she gave him a bottle of painkillers for his ribs and stated that he could now visit Kaiba's room if he wished. After she briskly left the room, Jou himself jumped up and left, pulling his shirt on before heading out the door. The floor was cool against his socked feet (his shoes he'd tossed out because the soles were all but completely gone), and the air smelled of sickness and sterilizing chemicals. One of the many reasons he hated hospitals…

---He found the room easily enough, noticing that Seto was still unconscious and a doctor was in there watching over Mokuba. The red-headed man glanced at Jou, then left the room quickly. Jou watched him go before walking over to Mokuba and placing a hand on the child's shoulder. Light gray-violet eyes met his, filled with hope and tears.

---"He'll be fine," Jou said, smiling kindly. "When have you ever known your brother to just give up to a problem?" Mokuba still looked about ready to cry, but he had the grace to smile a bit. Jou ruffled his hair gently and looked over at the sleeping teen he owed so much to before. _Does this mean…we're even?_ he thought, worried that if it was he would not have any reason to be near these two anymore. _No,_ he reminded himself forcefully, shaking his head. _I can't leave them until Angelina is taken to the police, and I can be sure they're safe._

---_You also want to stay with them,_ a voice nagged at the back of his mind. _With them, you're safe, and you still have someone to protect. It's better than that apartment you live in with **him**…_ Jou shook his head again. No way was he going to do that. He was already being a burden as it was; he didn't need to make their life harder by asking to live with them permanently. He needed to fight his own battles and leave them out of his most personal life.

---_"He did the same, didn't he?"_ Kaiba's voice still rang in his ears from the night before. It seemed like so long ago when they finally talked to each other without wanting to rip out each other's throats. _"I'm sorry…"_ He had apologized for the mistake he made unknowingly, and Jou had only left, hadn't acknowledged it. It tore at him now, made him want to ask for his own forgiveness. Too late now, he supposed, but maybe he could when he was awake…

---Noticing that Mokuba looked a little sick, Jou eased his way out of the room towards the nurses' station, not taking his eyes off the room.

---"'Scuse me," he said to the nurse there. "I've gotta get sumthin' for me an' another kid ta eat. Could you watch him for me?"

---"Sure, Jounouchi-kun, though I'm glad you're up and about again." Jou snapped his eyes to the woman behind the counter in shock, then grinned. Mai smiled back at him, that same seductive smile that she wore unknowingly.

---"Well, lookie 'ere!" he praised, leaning over the counter. "So, ya finally gave up card games and got a real job, huh? Dat's great!"

---Mai laughed and shook her head. "No, I still play, but since I don't win the big hitter tournaments with you and Yugi and Kaiba in town, I found something else to pay the bills."

---"Good idea," Jou laughed, remembering his own job. Without showing it on his face, he cursed himself about it; now he had to find a new one. Undoubtedly, for being gone so long without telling them first, he was fired. "Hey, listen, I gotta go get Mokuba sumthin' ta eat," he reiterated, pointing back at the room.

---"I'll watch him until you get back," Mai smiled, standing up and walking around the edge of the station. Jou couldn't help the second nature pass over her rather curvaceous body, nor the low whistle. He had to admit that even though she didn't attract _him_, she sure was definitely one of the finer young women he'd ever seen, _especially_ in that tiny nurse's uniform. Mai winked at him and walked off, her hips swaying gently behind her curtain of golden waves that she called hair. As soon as she opened the door to Kaiba's room, he left down to the cafeteria, shoving his hands in his pockets for change.

---He was just outside the door of the cafeteria when the hospital doors slid open… and Yugi, Anzu, and Honda all ran in. Deciding it would be better if they didn't see him here yet, he ducked into the cafeteria and watched as they ran to the nurse's station, then ran upstairs. He was guessing they were here to check on Kaiba and Mokuba, so he just got some food from the line, paid the cashier with the money he found in his pocket, and walked off after them.

---_Damnit, they don't know where I've been all this time or why I've been gone,_ he fumed angrily. _How am I going to explain this to them? Well…maybe they'll believe that I was visiting my sister. I'd better call Shizuka and explain to her so that she can back me up later._ Stopping at a payphone, Jou shifted the two sandwiches to one hand and called up his sister.

---_"Moshi moshi,"_ came a crisp and adult voice on the other end of the phone. Jou scowled; it was his mother.

---"Hey there, 'Kaasan," he answered cheerfully. "I know it's kinda weird, but can I talk ta Shizuka?"

---"…" Silence came from the other end, and Jou knew she must be fuming about his call. He smirked darkly. Good. It was just as much her fault as his father's that he got into so much trouble. If she hadn't left, Shizuka would still be here, and he would've stood up to his father long ago. He'd do it soon, but he had to make sure that Kaiba got better first.

---"Why do _you_ want to talk to _her_?"

---_Because I sure as Hell never want to talk to you._ "I haven't seen or talked to her in months. I just wanna say 'hi' and see how she's doin' in Tokyo."

---"…Fine." On the other line, he heard his mother call for his sister, then the phone being handed over.

---"Hello?" Jou smiled. Finally, he heard his sister's pure, sweet voice again.

---"Hey there, Sis," he replied lovingly, smiling despite himself. "How are things?"

---"Katsuya!" she exclaimed on the other line. "Oh my goodness, it's been ages! Why didn't you call sooner?"

---"Ah, you know Mom," he shrugged off casually. "Hey, listen, Shizuka, could you do me a favor?"

---"What kind of favor?" Jou liked that his sister was never suspicious of him, only eager to help, but he still worried that it'd get her into trouble someday.

---"I've been kinda out sick for a while and I dun want my friends to find out. Could ya tell 'em if they call dat I was with you?"

---"Of course, Katsuya. Though, you _are_ feeling better, right?"

---"Like I could run over to your apartment and kiss ya."

---He heard the giggle over the other line and smiled warmly again. He loved that his sister was still that innocent after all these years. He supposed it was the sole upside to the divorce.

---"All right now, I gotta go, but I'll see ya later, 'kay?"

---"All right, Katsuya. I love you, Anii-han."

---"Love you, too, Shizuka. _Ja ne._" Hanging up the phone, Jou walked back to the room in slightly better spirits. At least his sister would always be on his side. He hated that he'd asked her to lie, as she wasn't the type to do so, but he needed an alibi without making Kaiba a prime suspect. Whistling some random J-rock tune he heard on the radio a while back, he headed back upstairs to Kaiba's room.

---Right outside the door, Anzu was talking to Mai, who stood in the doorway like some succubus bodyguard, her violet eyes watching the two high-school boys in the room as Honda talked calmly with Mokuba and Yugi stared blankly at Kaiba. Jou instantly felt guilty; Yugi looked like he'd barely gotten any sleep and hadn't eaten at all since he disappeared a while back. Dark circles were around the amethyst orbs as he watched the older of the Kaiba siblings sleep, his expression holding exhaustion and worry as well as grief. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he walked over to the girls, feigning surprise.

---"Anzu? What da heck are _you_ doin' here?" he exclaimed, breaking out into a grin. He tried to act somewhat like a kid at a normal Christmas; surprised and overjoyed. Needless to say, the young brunette he'd spoken to spun around in surprise before scowling at him.

---"_I_ should be asking _you_ that, Jounouchi Katsuya," she snapped, her blue eyes flashing in anger. "Where have you been for the past few weeks, huh?! We've been worried sick about you!"

---"Sheesh, calm down a bit, would'ja?" he grumbled, rolling his brown eyes in exasperation. She could be so grating at times… it almost made him want to laugh in her face. She really couldn't look stern without looking comical at the same time. "I was visitin' my sis in Tokyo," he explained. "I didn't call coz it kinda slipped my mind."

---"Slipped your mind?!" Her voice seemed like it wanted to scream at him, but she knew the rules about staying quiet in a hospital. "We were scared for your life, you selfish jerk! We tried calling the police, but they don't want anything to do with you!"

---"Eh, well, what'cha gonna do?" He shrugged casually, then looked into the room past Anzu's furious face. "Hey there, guys!" he called out cheerily. "Ya miss me over here?"

---Yugi's face came up instantly, his violet eyes wide with hope as he stared at the door. Honda looked amazed, unable to even stop the shocked look from appearing on his face. Yugi stared for a couple more moments before suddenly bounding over to the blonde and clutching him around the waist as if he never wanted to let go. "Hey there, Yuge," Jou said warmly, ruffling the younger boy's hair a bit. He was always surprised with how soft it was, considering the spiky, gravity-defying style. "Ya miss me?"

---"Where were you?" Jou was prepared for the question, but not the expression that went along with it. Yugi's eyes were bloodshot and circle with dark rings, as if the only way he'd gotten any rest was by crying himself to sleep. Filled with tears, he looked as if he couldn't believe the Jou standing there before his was real. It made Jou really guilty that he had to lie, but he steeled his heartstrings and did it anyway. For the Kaiba bro's sakes.

---"I was in Tokyo with my sis," he said calmly, hugging the boy back. "Sorry I didn't call or anything, but I was really busy."

---"At least you got one note to us, you ass," Honda grumbled, having gotten over the shock of seeing his longest friend standing there after being missing for God-knows-how-long. Jou looked up blankly, and Honda held up a letter whose time stamp stated it had been delivered a while ago. "Oh, that one," he said, acting like he suddenly remembered sending it as he grinned at Yugi. "See? I told you where I was. I just a little longer than expected, that's all!" Looking over at Mokuba, he handed the kid the sandwich he bought for him. "There ya go kid," he said quietly. "Ya gotta eat, or you'll be getting' sick, too."

-------------

---After the hospital incident with Yugi, Anzu, and Honda, Jou preferred Mokuba and Kaiba's company alone. Mai came in every once in a while to check Kaiba's stats and talk with Jou for a bit as he kept Mokuba preoccupied with a hospital copy of _shogi_. This kept up until Mai's shift ended at around midnight and she went home, leaving Jou with a sleeping Mokuba and an unconscious Seto.

---Sighing, Jou wondered exactly what brought everything together like this. Fate? Destiny? Pure random chance? Was there something he was missing about this whole thing?

---Mokuba's shivering caught his attention quickly, and Jou walked over to him. It wasn't an unusual thing; hospitals were always freezing, even at school. Gently, he picked the boy up and held him like he used to do to his sister, covering him with a blanket while giving him body heat to warm his skin. Slowly, the shivering stopped, and Mokuba once more slept soundly.

---Jou knew he wouldn't, though. Not with Angelina still out there, ready and waiting to kill them all.

---He just hoped some karmic justice managed to swing her way in those short hours since she disappeared from the hospital.

------------------------------

Sabriel: Again, a filler chapter, but it will get more exciting in the next one! It also has a game in the next chappie, too!  
Hiei: --growls, having just regained consciousness-- You are a very odd human, have I not told you this?  
Sabriel: Shaddup and give me my list of reviewers.

The-Anibee – Yes, I tried to dispense some well-deserved karmic justice on her, and I hope you liked the random fluffiness.

Shadowy Fluffball – Fine, then. I will.

S'Star – Thank you. I rarely get compliments anymore and I am seriously beginning to doubt my abilities as a writer.

Ice Dragonspirit – I'm hoping to get the next chapter up within the month, but I have a lot of things stealing my time currently. I hope this chapter is to your satisfaction.

Sabriel: Read and Review, o loyal fans.  
Hiei: …I still say-  
Sabriel: --slaps "CENSORED" sticker on him-- No one cares what you think, midget.


	10. The Challenge

AbhorsenSabriel87: Let me start off with an apology.  
Hiei: For what? You were on sabbatical.  
Sabriel: Yeah, but I took off without warning everyone.  
Hiei: Who really cares?  
Sabriel: All the people who kept PMing and emailing and reviewing that they wanted me to update my stories.  
Hiei: ...Again, who cares?  
Sabriel: --sighs-- Fine, whatever. I own nothing but my own twisted plots.  
Hiei: Thank the gods.

------------------------------

---Bright white sunlight streamed through the barely shaded windows, and the simplistic harshness of it made Jou wince. True, normally he liked daylight, but in hospitals every seemed so amplified and cruel. Shifting, he noticed Mokuba was still asleep in his lap and smiled, feeling some of the brotherly care return to him. It was so cute; Mokuba with his girlishly long hair and effeminate features sleeping like some enchanted princess.

---"Now you know where I got the game idea from." Snapping his head up, eyes wide with shock, Jou nearly sprang to his feet when he saw the other teen smirking at him. Worse for the wear didn't cover it; while the brunette was awake and sitting up, the detoxing made his skin seem paler than normal and like he'd just gotten off a 20-year addicton to heroine. Even still, he was smirking at Jou with an unusual playfulness and a familiar challenge in those cobalt blue eyes. Chuckling to himself, Jou shook his head, the soft blonde hair flicking about it aimlessly.

---"Nice ta know dat you can read minds, Kaiba," he laughed, grinning broadly. "So, you always think your brother was girly, or was that just lack-o'-sleep inspiration talkin' ta ya?"

---"A bit of both, actually," the other admitted, looking at the sleeping child with an emotion that was rare to cross his features; love. "I always told him that it was too long, but he insisted on keeping it. It's always tangled, too, because he never takes care of it." Shaking his head, Seto smiled, which (in Jou's opinion) brightened his demeanor beautifully. "But ranting while he's asleep does nothing constructive, does it?"

---"Not a damn bit," the blonde agreed, returning the smile. They looked at each other for a bit, not speaking yet understanding and comparing the other's strength. "Listen, Seto, about the other night-"

---"Don't worry about it. I figured it was too quick to expect much." Jou quirked an unamused eyebrow at the brunette, who held up his hands in the universal signal for "don't shoot the messenger". "I didn't mean that I expecting nothing from you; only that I knew this probably wasn't the right time for you to forgive me."

---"Yeah, you're goin' ta have ta work pretty damn hard ta get on _my_ good graces again."

---"My God; I never knew I was on them in the first place. I really have to watch where I step next time." At that, Jou had to laugh. It always was funny whenever the elder Kaiba used sarcasm, even when against those around him most often.

---"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, smartass." Jou shook his head, still chuckling. He wished he'd had someone to share moments like these with when he was a kid. During the past couple of years he had Honda, but the two never exactly got along. It was like putting a housebroken wolfhound with an army-trained doberman; they were on two completely different levels. Even still, he could feel the smile slipping from his face as he thought about what would happen when he had to leave, when they had to go back to their lives as they were before. As if nothing had happened, nor ever would again.

---"Jou?" Startled, Jou looked at his lap to see Mokuba staring at him sleepily, looking so much like Yuugi it was uncanny. Instantly, a reassuring smile returned to his face, almost second-nature whenever someone was worried about him and he didn't feel like showing his moments of weakness.

---"Hey there, kid. Your bro's up; why'n'cha go see how he's doin'?" The first half of the second question was barely off this lips when the dark-haired boy sprang up and ran over to his elder sibling. While the two were preoccupied with their minor reunion, Jou stood and left, not wanting to impose any further on the people he now knew to be just like everyone else; a little lost and afraid with a strong bond with the only people they trusted.

---He didn't say goodbye to Mai as he left the hospital.

-------------

---How many hours had it been? Had it been days? She didn't know. All she knew was that she couldn't fuck up again. If she did, they'd do worse. And by all Hell as her witness, she knew how much worse they could be.

---They were smart, she discovered; they left no bruising on her arms or face other than the strap-marks on her wrists from the belt and her busted lip. It left her without visible proof of what happened. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't go to the cops; Julian had a strange way with people, and he'd find a way to keep one or all of them out of the slammer long enough to kill her and run. And as much as she wanted her bastard, faggot cousin to pay for what he did to her, she wasn't quite ready to die yet.

---All she had to do now was wait. Wait until this whole thing with those damn brats was done with, and then she could go back home.

---Then again, what would be the point? There or here, it was the same fucked-up story. Working for whoever needed her just so she could pay the bills, turning tricks every night to keep her damn uncle away from her... It didn't matter that she was in Japan now rather than Scotland; the same rules still applied, which meant that she was powerless.

---Glancing up, she noticed something interesting walking from the hospital and down a street adjacent to her. A thought flashed into her head, a smirk creeping over her lips.

---She maight not be able to take out Kaiba right now, but his little lapdog would work just as well. Turning down the street and following without being seen, she plotted her revenge and strategy.

---After all, with her new hardware, how hard could it be?

------------

---"But Mr. Kaiba, you're not ready to leave yet-"

---"I'm ready, now move."

---"Mr. Kaiba, you haven't fully finished detoxifying yet-"

---"I don't care. Send the bill to the secondary address in your records; I'll deal with them later."

---"Mr. Kai-" Slam. The door flew shut in the face of the red-haired doctor as Seto Kaiba stormed out of the hospital, completely livid. He couldn't really believe that Jou had just run out like that in his condition. Though it wasn't too much of a far cry to guess why, it still annoyed him. More surprisingly, it worried him, too. So, in order to keep himself under control, he'd take Mokuba to their safehouse and keep him safely there until he could find the blonde idiot. Then, he could have his little blow-up, and they'd all be fine. Flagging down a taxi with a flick of his hand that was known throughout the dueling world, he looked down at Mokuba's expectant face.

---"Where're we going, Anii-san?" Kaiba opened the door for his little brother and climbed in, closing the door behind him as the dark-haired boy strapped his seatbelt on. Looking up at the driver with his infamous icy glare, he gave the address of the safehouse.

---"Right away, Mr. Kaiba," the driver answered, setting the car into gear and pulling onto the main road. The driver glanced into the rearview mirror once and brushed his black hair out of his eyes, keeping the azure sights on the road.

---_Just you wait, Katsuya Jounouchi,_ Kaiba fumed angrily as they drove off. _Once I'm through with you, it'll be your half-assed match with Ryuji Otogi all over again; dog-suit, howling, and all._

------------

---_How stupid can you be?_ Jou thought darkly, kicking a random can on the side of the road with enough force to send it crashing into a pile of glass bottles left out for the night. _The people who care about you most are trying to help you, and you just shove them all away. What the Hell are you afraid of, you cowardly moron?_ Sighing to himself, he looked up as he walked, eyes on the skies of Domino City. He knew what he was afraid of; he was afraid that bastard he lived with would find out he actually had friends and do something about it. Who in their right mind wouldn't be scared of that with his dad?

---Even still, it felt weird. He had actually made friends with the person he'd thought to be his worst enemy, and so long as no one else found out what really happened, they all would be able to live with it. Sighing, he stopped walking, now agitated.

---"Come on out, ya big bastard," he called. "I'm not afraid of ya. I kick yer ass once, I can do it again." He didn't even turn around as the person following him stepped out from alley behind him and chuckled darkly.

---"Nice to know your ears work, shrimp," he called back, something that he couldn't see clicking loudly. "But this time, I've picked a game that involves some skill." Jou turned just in time to catch the Duel Disk thrown at him.

---"How's about see if you're as good as people think you are." Scowling darkly, Jou took the deck of cards from his pocket and put them sharply into the deck slot and clicked the disk onto his wrist.

---"Let's party, jackass."

-------------

Sabriel: I thought there needed to be a few card games, so here's one. It has a twist that you will find out about in the next chapter.  
Hiei: Provided you actually write it.  
Sabriel: ...You're not helping.  
Hiei: Hn. Whatever.  
Sabriel: Sorry it's so short, it will be longer next time. 'Till then, au revior.


End file.
